Lions to seek trade for Matthew Stafford; Will move accelerate the retool?
And the hits keep coming for Motown as the Detroit Lions keep making move after move in order to accelerate a rebuild in the Motor City. Over the past two weeks, the Lions have hired a new general manager in Brad Holmes, a new head coach in Dan Campbell, and a new defensive coordinator in Aaron Glenn.
On Saturday night, they revealed the biggest bombshell of them all. According to multiple reports, the Lions will be seeking a trade for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. This is apparently a mutual parting of the ways and a true era changer for the franchise and its star player.
According to The Athletic’s Chris Burke, a source tells him that Stafford was the one to approach the organization about a possible trade. That makes a lot of sense as the soon-to-be 33-year old is likely not looking to spearhead yet another rebuild in the Motor City. Instead, Stafford could pursue other opportunities to try and cement his legacy.
The focus now obviously turns to what the Lions may be able to get in return for Stafford, who has two years left on his current contract. Detroit already possesses the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. That would be an ideal spot to land one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class.
The Lions have agreed to trade Matthew Stafford as long as they get "fair market value," per league source. If they don't find that, Stafford could still return to the team. But right now, all sides are pushing toward a trade.
— kyle meinke (@kmeinke) January 23, 2021
Holmes and Campbell would surely welcome additional draft picks from a Stafford trade to help them retool their roster. The Lions defense was the worst in the NFL last season and features several former New England Patriots as starters due to signings made by the previous regime.
Offensively, the Lions are now set to lose their longtime starting quarterback along with their top three wide receivers as Marvin Jones Jr., Kenny Golladay, and Danny Amendola are all set to become free agents in March.
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As for possible landing places for Matthew Stafford, the Miami Dolphins make sense. Mentoring a young Tua Tagovailoa could be perfect for Stafford and the Dolphins own the third overall selection in the upcoming draft. The Lions could potentially switch picks with Miami as part of the trade. But Stafford is more than likely looking to go to an instant playoff contender like the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, or the Indianapolis Colts.