Getty Matthew Stafford gestures with his injured hand in 2016 after a game.
The Detroit Lions are dealing with the reality that their future doesn’t involve Matthew Stafford, and that can be hard for anyone, from the most avid of fans to a franchise legend.
Barry Sanders had his own emotional split with the Lions more than a decade ago, so he is very keen to situations such as this and how they play out. As a result, his take on the matter is certainly interesting and appreciated, and he got to provide it for the first time since news that Stafford and the Lions were splitting first broke over the weekend.
Joining Good Morning Football, Sanders was asked right off the bat during his interview about the big news from over the weekend, and as he said, it
The man. The myth. The legend.
@BarrySanders joined #GMFB!
We talk about the Lions and Matthew Stafford reportedly parting ways, we look at some of the angriest runs in his career 😡, and he talks #SBLV.
Sanders said:
“It will be tough to replace a guy like Matt Stafford who I feel in a lot of ways has carried the franchise for the last decade. A guy who showed up every day, you felt like you always had a chance with Matt. So maybe because of the new regime coming in and seeing things different, things like this sometimes happen. I know Matt has a lot of good football left in him. I know as a Lions fan I wish him well, and it’ll certainly be very difficult to replace a guy like that who’s put up the kind of numbers he has in his career.”
Replacing Stafford is what the Lions now have to go about, and the decisions on that front will be serious in the months ahead. Regardless of what happens, Sanders is right in that completely replacing Stafford off the bat will not be easy to do. Whether to install a rookie or a veteran or perhaps a combination of both is the most pressing early decisions the team will be faced with once they officially reach an agreement on a deal.
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Parallels Between Matthew Stafford and Barry Sanders
If Sanders knows how Stafford could feel at this very moment, it’s because he lived the same reality without a trade playing out. Sanders retired on the eve of training camp in 1999, and many always hinted that he was fed up with the losing and didn’t want to continue. The same could be said for Calvin Johnson, who retired in 2015 after a 10 year career. Stafford isn’t walking away, though, and is looking to perhaps add to his legacy in the next handful of years on the field.
Sanders has already gone down as on of the best to ever play the game, and according to some, Stafford could have that distinction as well when all is said and done if he is able to do some bigger winning upon leaving the Lions.
Matthew Stafford Era With Lions Comes to Close
Even though Johnson thinks a trade should have happened sooner, it will still be a heartbreaking conclusion for some Lions fans to see Stafford’s career end in Detroit. It will be clear to many others this will be the right move for the team. Stafford has been a loyal player for the team since 2009 when he was the top pick of the Lions. In spite of this, the team never built a solid base around him and the Lions struggled to win with Stafford in tow. Now, there is almost no choice for the team but to firmly push the reset button heading toward a brand new regime.
With the 32 year-old’s introduction to the market, it will be interesting to see who will bite on a deal. The Lions will be interesting players themselves now likely needing a quarterback. All of this is sure to please Johnson, who has maintained that the Lions should be moving on all along.
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