What Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford said about his own future, Dak Prescott’s injury

Detroit Free Press

Carlos Monarrez
 
| Detroit Free Press

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Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford saw Dak Prescott’s gruesome compound ankle injury the moment it happened.

On the final day of his bye week, Stafford was watching Dallas’ game against the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon when he saw safety Logan Ryan tackle the Cowboys quarterback.

“It was horrible,” Stafford said during a conference call Wednesday. “I felt so bad for him. He was playing so great, he’s been playing great for a few years now. Just been the heart and soul of that team and to see it happen – I was watching the game live, looked down for a second, looked back up and it did not look good obviously.

“I know that if anybody’s going to come back from that, it’s that guy. He’s an incredible guy and obviously a great player as well.”

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Stafford had no way of contacting Prescott directly, so he reached out to Kellen Moore, Dallas’ offensive coordinator served as Stafford’s backup for three seasons.

“I don’t have (Prescott’s) cell phone number,” Stafford said, “but obviously you guys know I know Kellen. So I text Kellen and was like, ‘Hey, make sure you pass on my best wishes to Dak and all that.’

“I just felt terrible for him. I know Andy (Dalton) will come in and do a great job for them. But Dak’s a special player and for that to happen is not good.”

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Prescott won’t play for the rest of the season and the injury quickly led to widespread speculation about his replacement this year. Scenarios for the Lions trading Stafford, who grew up in Dallas and led his high school to a state championship there, also popped up because of the uncertainty of where the Lions are headed after a 1-3 start.

Much of the speculation about the future of the team has centered around general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia. But Stafford’s future also is uncertain because his own play has been less than stellar, and he’s due a $10 million roster bonus next year, when he turns 33.

In his 12th season, Stafford is playing under his second team president, his second GM and his third coach. But he said he hasn’t thought too much – at any point of the year – about how his future might be in play, even this year as the Lions flirt with the possibility of a rebuild.

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“No, I just go out there and play,” Stafford said. “I don’t really worry too much about that stuff, even when it’s offseason or whatever it is. I just go out there and try to prepare to play as good as I possibly can week in and week out. I understand the game and the life of the NFL just as much as anybody else, but I don’t think about it too much, to be honest.”

Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here’s how you cangain access to our most exclusive Lions content

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Matt Patricia’s plan to improve the Detroit Lions’ consistency

Lions coach Matt Patricia, fresh off the bye, discusses plan to improve consistency of performance, starting against Jaguars. Filmed Oct. 14, 2020.

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