When Matthew Stafford signed his contract extension this week with the Detroit Lions, one tangential thought was that the resulting dollar figures could play into Matt Ryan's negotiations with the Atlanta Falcons.
Debate: Romo, Stafford or Ryan?
Tony Romo and
Matthew
Stafford signed new deals. Matt Ryan appears to be next. Which QB is most indispensable?
**More ...**
A Falcons official told Len Pasquarelli, writing Sunday for the National Football Post, Stafford's contract "won't seriously affect" the ongoing negotiations.
"It's another piece of the puzzle, more information, but ... we kind of all have a feel for where we have to be," the official said.
It's not a surprise that Stafford's contract wouldn't rock the boat, considering the dollar numbers are fairly similar to Tony Romo's deal. Ryan most likely already was looking to make above those numbers. Joe Flacco's contract -- as deceptive as it is -- is the one Ryan's reps will be more inclined use as a baseline.
Both the Falcons and Ryan have sounded confident throughout the discussions that at some point a deal will get done. If it gets done before the season is the looming question.
Follow Kevin Patra on Twitter @kpatra.
