Getty Matthew Stafford during a 2017 game.
The Detroit Lions could be weighing whether or not to move on from Matthew Stafford, but to many who know the position as well as played it, there shouldn’t be much of a decision at all.
Take former NFL quarterback and Hall of Famer turned broadcaster Kurt Warner. Speaking at the Super Bowl in a piece by Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com, Warner was asked about the situation the Lions find themselves in with Stafford and the potential to draft Tua Tagovailoa at the top of the NFL Draft.
According to Warner, the best move for the team to make would be to stick with their quarterback. Here’s a look at part of what he said in Twentyman’s piece:
“What will Bob Quinn decide to do with his top three pick? There’s certainly a lot of opinions out there. Will he draft a playmaker to help a defense that struggled most of last season? Could they trade the pick to a quarterback-needy team and acquire more assets? Some analysts believe the Lions should draft a quarterback and join the trend of building around a young and less expensive signal caller.
Don’t include Hall of Famer, Super Bowl winner, NFL Network analyst and former quarterback Kurt Warner among that last group.
“As long as Matthew (Stafford) is healthy, and they believe he can be healthy moving forward, he’s got plenty of time left to play and he’s extremely talented,” Warner said Thursday at the Super Bowl, when asked about Stafford and the Lions’ decision with the No. 3 pick. “For me, if I was Detroit, I’m saying, ‘Can we build a team around Matthew and then see what we have?’
“I mean he’s done so many great things in this league, but I don’t feel like he’s ever had a complete team around him, where he could truly compete so we could see really how good is he?”
The chance at finally having that complete team could come in 2020, if the Lions are able to get healthy and keep Stafford healthy as well. An improved defense as well as a healthier offense will allow Stafford the chance to perhaps have a full complement of weapons to see what he can do.
In that instance, Warner could be right, and the best move could be for the team to simply stick with the guy who was having a MVP level season prior to injury in 2019.
Dan Orlovsky Thinks Lions Avoid Tua Tagovailoa
Speaking from the Super Bowl, former Lions backup Dan Orlovsky filmed a video with Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, and Birkett asked Orlovsky about his take on the situation everyone in Detroit is debating.
Take Tagovailoa or not? According to Orlovsky, much like Warner, the answer is a simple one, and it’s a no thanks to the situation the Lions currently find themselves in.
“I think very highly of Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia. They have to win. A lot of times when you take a player, but mainly a quarterback, your job security is based on performance. If he does well, you’re going to have a job. If he doesn’t, you’re going to get fired,” Orlovsky explained. “Tua is a totally different animal. Not only is your job security tied to Tua’s performance, it’s also tied to his health. It’s going to take a general manager and a head coach that are safe in their position to draft Tua that early.”
The other issue, as Orlovsky sees it, is due to Tagovailoa’s injury, which is a real factor for teams.
“There is the potential that injury is a real thing. And we don’t know right now. I think Tua is going to be a great pro, but the reality is what it is,” he said. “For a team to take him at 3, and the coach and the general manager need to win, I don’t think a team should take Tua with the anticipation that he will play next year.”
It’s possible the Lions could take Tagovailoa and stash him, but Orlovsky said in the clip he doesn’t believe that to be a good idea either for a team that needs to win and already has a solid quarterback on the roster.
ESPN’s Bart Scott Wants Lions Drafting Tua Tagovailoa
An opposite opinion has been presented by ESPN’s Bart Scott. According to Scott, Detroit must take Tua Tagovailoa and start over by dealing Matthew Stafford. It’s the only way Scott sees the team moving forward and crafting a brighter future for themselves.
“I think about that sweet spot. The sweet spot for me is the third pick with the Detroit Lions,” Scott recently said on Get Up. “I don’t see how the Detroit Lions let Tua Tagovailoa get past them.”
According to Scott, who’s said before that Stafford should be on the move via trade this offseason, the timing is perfect for the Lions to start over with a talented young player in Tagovailoa.
“They understand they have had Matthew Stafford. He’s only 31 years old. We’ve seen what it looks like to have Stafford for 11 years. You’re not going to win a Super Bowl with him,” Scott said. “If you’re a struggling coach in this league, you want to press the reset button. You can’t let a guy with arm talent and vision get away. This is your opportunity to get a young gun, start off young, and really be able to trade Matthew Stafford to get some picks to start over with a young core.”
As Scott said, depth should be the first order of business for the Lions, who need to build a more complete team.
“What you need in Detroit is depth, you need talent. The only way you’re going to get talent is by getting rid of your biggest chip, which is Matthew Stafford,” he said.
As it stands now, the Lions have seven draft picks with which to work with this season, including a pair in the fifth round. Adding to that would certainly help them build things up and improve the depth. They could also do this by not trading away Stafford and merely dealing down from their top pick.
Bob Quinn Speaks on Matthew Stafford’s Status
Stafford’s future has been open to interpretation with rumors swirling that the team could draft someone else or move on entirely. Bob Quinn, however, joined SiriusXM NFL Radio and explained why none of that could be the case at all.
“I’m totally comfortable and happy Matthew Stafford’s our quarterback. He’s going to be in full health once the offseason program starts its course. He’s pretty much at full health right now. Talked to him about 10 days ago,” Quinn said in the interview. “He was in the office so he’s feeling great. He’s in a good mindset, he’s excited. Obviously he’s a competitor so to miss half the season was hard on him. But he did a great job with our backup quarterbacks.”
Specifically, Quinn admitted he liked watching Stafford work with the backups and prepare them. That let him know the team is in good hands moving forward.
“Just behind the scenes, seeing him in a different light,” he said. “Since I’ve been there he’s been at every practice and every game. To see him in coach mode was pretty cool to see. He really cares about not only our team and his teammates and his leadership, really helping those other quarterbacks learn our system on the fly when he went down.”
That leads Quinn to feel positively about Stafford moving forward and the impact he might have on the team.
“I feel great about Matthew. He’s going to come back strong and we’re ready to go for next year,” he said.
These quotes would seem to throw cold water on the notion that the Lions would draft a quarterback early or decide to deal Stafford this offseason. Some of the chatter might says otherwise.
When it comes to former quarterbacks, most think the plan should be to stick with Stafford in 2020.
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