Detroit Lions: If Matthew Stafford goes, then everyone must go
THE ONCOMING PURGE?
Trading Stafford for picks is a drastic move, and one that shouldn’t be pursued. But if Detroit takes this path, then a different general manager should be making the deal.
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Quinn is the one that decided to give Stafford the big contract extension. He shouldn’t be allowed to trade Stafford away now. Bob didn’t have to extend him. If Quinn was unsure, he had another year left on the contract at the time, and Stafford could have been franchised after that.
Trading Stafford will mean getting rid of Quinn, which might also mean getting rid of head coach Matt Patricia, who is tied directly to Quinn. So, if Stafford goes, then everyone goes. Getting rid of Stafford is a total reset for this franchise.
The better option, and more likely, is to keep building this roster. The funny thing is this option is as wrought with pitfalls as the first one. Coming into 2018, this roster looked solid and was coming off a 9-7 campaign. How can anyone with this team be trusted to make things right next year?
If everything stays status quo (at least in terms of Stafford-Patricia-Quinn), then 2019 cannot look like this. The next free agency period and draft had better be stellar. The coaching staff must have all its ducks in-a-row. And they need to win.
That particular refrain of “next year will be our year” is difficult to stomach. Teams can turn it around quickly in the NFL, but “quickly” hasn’t happened to Detroit since that mythical 1991 season. Sometimes it is hard to imagine it ever happening again.