Getty Matthew Stafford warming up during a game in 2016.
The Detroit Lions have seen Matthew Stafford rumors come to the forefront in recent weeks, and that’s something that is unsurprising given the unpredictable nature of the offseason.
One analyst, however, isn’t sure the Lions should be dangling Stafford right now and certainly isn’t sure the team’s approach with Stafford makes any sense at all in terms of the trade market. Mike Tanier was critical of Detroit dangling Stafford on the market at this point in time.
His reasoning? The fact that there are other quarterbacks set to crowd the market and the Lions might not be maximizing their chance at getting value for Stafford.
The one benefit of Stafford perhaps being on the market is the fact he could be the best quarterback of the bunch, but even still, the sheer number of players set to hit the market won’t help negotiations.
Smart money says the Lions will still hold onto Stafford even in spite of all the rumors swirling about him lately.
Why Lions Might Find Matthew Stafford Trade Tough
Stafford, in addition to being a team leader and a key piece, has a massive cap hit and a contract which currently is nearly immovable. After a new round of Stafford rumors began to swirl, former NFL front office man Andrew Brandt hopped on Twitter and said that it’s probably not feasible to think that the Lions will deal Stafford easily.
As he said, if the Lions can’t trade Stafford, it might be their own fault considering his contract. A major dead cap hit would be created with any Stafford move, and the Lions would have to eat the money in order to move on from Stafford.
Any rumor of a trade of Matt Stafford is pure folly. The Lions, in the way they have structured repeated contracts, have made him untradeable. Would cost them $32M in Cap for him to NOT be there.
This is probably the best argument against a Stafford trade, in addition to the fact that it simply doesn’t seem as if the Lions will move on in such a vital year from such a key player.
Matthew Stafford Trade Rumors Swirling
According to Local 4 WDIV Detroit, the Lions were said to be in negotiations for a Stafford deal with teams for a few weeks. The report was revealed late at night, and was shared on the station’s website. Here’s the key details it presented:
“Sources close to the Detroit Lions have confirmed to Local 4′s Bernie Smilovitz that trade talks concerning quarterback Matthew Stafford have been underway for a couple of weeks.
Stafford’s wife Kelly posted on her Instagram account saying if her husband were to be traded, one destination she would be interested in is California.”
In spite of that, however, it didn’t take Lions’ general manager Bob Quinn long to refute the report. In a text to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Quinn shot down any potential Stafford rumors as completely false. Here’s what Birkett wrote after connecting with him:
“Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn refuted a late-night report that the team is in talks to trade quarterback Matthew Stafford.
“100% False!!” Quinn wrote in a text message to the Free Press.”
Stafford rumors continue to swirl around the team and the reasoning is obvious. The Lions have a powerful chip in the form of Tua Tagovailoa hanging around near the top of the NFL Draft. It’s likely the team is trying to bluff someone into either trading ahead of their pick, or trying to make sure that folks know they could be open for business at quarterback with the No. 3 pick this April.
Both outcomes could assure the Lions a better chance at drafting players they’re interested in or acquiring picks. Stafford himself might be collateral damage for the time being, but it’s tough to envision the Lions completely moving on from their quarterback in such a vital season.
For now, that continues to be the case.