Stafford’s now highest-paid player
Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions agreed to a $135 million, five-year extension yesterday that makes the quarterback the highestpaid player in the NFL.
The deal keeps Stafford under contract through the 2022 season.
Stafford was entering the last season of his $53 million, three-year contract. He stood to get quite a raise and did, getting more than the $125 million, five-year contract the Oakland Raiders gave Derek Carr this summer.
Stafford said he hadn’t decided whether he would allow negotiations to drag into the season. Detroit drafted Stafford No.1 overall in 2009. The Lions reach the playoffs last season for the third time in six seasons.
Jets start McCown
Josh McCown is ready to roll, even if he hasn’t played much this preseason. Jets coach Todd Bowles yesterday named McCown his starting quarterback, ending a strange training camp competition that included backups Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty.
The 38-year-old McCown was the assumed starter when he signed a one-year, $6 million deal in March, and that never changed despite he played in just one series in a preseason game and led the Jets to a touchdown.
Hackenberg, a secondround pick last year, saw an increase in practice snaps and started the past two games. But he struggled mightily and made no real push to win the job over McCown.
McCown is 2-20 over the past three seasons with Tampa Bay and Cleveland.
The Jets held a curious competition with the assumed No. 1 quarterback getting lots of snaps in workouts and minicamp but then sitting for all but one series of the first three preseason games.
Also, the Jets released defensive lineman Devon Still, signed cornerback Armagedon Draughn, and obtained long snapper Thomas Hennessy from Indianapolis for safety Ronald Martin. The Colts also released punter Jeff Locke.
Broncos lose Lynch
The Denver Broncos find themselves dealing with another quarterback conundrum after losing backup Paxton Lynch for several weeks to a sprained right (throwing) shoulder suffered in the 20-17 exhibition win over Green Bay on Saturday night.
The Broncos now are counting on Kyle Sloter to go the distance in their preseason finale Thursday night against Arizona to avoid having to turn to starter Trevor Siemian or their emergency QB, wide receiver Jordan Taylor . ...
The Buffalo Bills signed Keith Wenning to address their injury-depleted quarterback position, as starter Tyrod Taylor and thirdstringer T.J. Yates are both being evaluated for concussions suffered Saturday in a 13-9 loss at Baltimore.
The Bills also traded linebacker Reggie Ragland, a 2016 second-round pick, to Kansas City for a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft.
Off the field, Bills defensive tackle Adolphus Washington was acquitted of a weapons charge by an Ohio judge. He could still face NFL discipline . . . .
The Detroit Lions cut receiver Keshawn Martin and tight end Tim Wright, both former Patriots.
Harbaugh extended
The Baltimore Ravens gave coach John Harbaugh a contract extension, even though the team has missed the playoffs in three of the past four years. Since his arrival in 2008, Harbaugh has taken Baltimore to the postseason six times, guiding the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory in the 2012 season.
In nine years with the Ravens, Harbaugh is 85-59 during the regular season and 10-5 in the playoffs.
Also, Ravens linebacker Albert McClellan is out for the season after sustaining a knee injury in practice.
Burfict suspended
The NFL suspended Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict for five games because he leveled a Chiefs running back in a preseason game, the latest in his history of egregious hits . . . .
New York Giants backup defensive end Owa Odighizuwa has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.