Brees raves about Stafford, texted him after contract extension

Count Drew Brees among Matthew Stafford's supporters, after the Detroit Lions quarterback signed a record five-year, $135-million extension on Monday.

Stafford will earn $27 million per year, surpassing the previous record of $25 million per annum earned by Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who also signed his extension this summer.

Brees said he congratulated Stafford on his extension, obviously impressed with the sum he accumulated.

"I just sent him a text that just said, 'Wow,'" Brees said via ESPN's Mike Triplett. "That was it."

Brees was also markedly impressed by Stafford's 2016 campaign after steering the Lions to the playoffs with a 9-7 record.

"The guy's played great, you know? Last year was as impressive I think a run as a quarterback's had in regards to finding ways to win games," Brees said. "That whole team won a ton of games at the end of the year and got themselves into the playoffs after being pretty banged up along the way. And so he was the next guy up, and he got a huge contract."

Brees has an opt-out clause in his contract which can be exercised before the 2018 season and he will likely be looking to Stafford as inspiration during his next series of negotiations.

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