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Former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has found himself the topic of trade buzz leading up to the November 5 NFL deadline, and if anything were to come of this trade gossip, Stafford would be leading one of the Lions’ biggest rivals. Stafford signed onto the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 and snagged a Super Bowl title his first season in sunny California, so if he were to get traded, he could be a hot commodity.
One NFL analyst and expert is saying that Stafford could want to get traded to a Lions rival to “get in the way” of the Detroit getting to the Super Bowl.
Matthew Stafford ‘Could Want Out’
On Tuesday, October 22, NFL analyst and expert Mike Florio of NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk published a piece supporting the idea of Stafford leaving the Rams for NFC North rival the Minnesota Vikings.
“There’s chatter that we haven’t confirmed regarding the Vikings and Rams possibly talking,” Florio stated. “I’ve been openly advocating for the move, since Stafford would make the Vikings a legitimate Super Bowl contender.”
In a piece published October 23, Charles Robinson, senior reporter at Yahoo Sports, says that while the chance of a Stafford trade would be “extremely slim,” there are certainly positives to the idea.
“Stafford has a history with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, going all the way back to when O’Connell was Stafford’s teammate briefly with the Detroit Lions in the 2009 offseason,” he wrote.
That’s where a bit of Lions revenge comes in.
“I’m not going to go too far down this rabbit hole, but I wonder if Stafford would like the opportunity to get in the way of his former team, the Detroit Lions, and Jared Goff in the playoff picture,” Robinson added. “Personally, I think he would.”
It’s true that the Vikings could be on their way to the Big Game, if things fall into place. They’ve only lost one game this season, and that’s to the Lions, so they’re often ranked near the top of NFL Power Rankings.
Michael Rand of the Minnesota Star Tribune also says he finds some value in the idea of Stafford going to Minnesota, although he says it could prove costly.
“The Vikings could probably make the money work,” he noted in an October 24 feature. “But they’ve already committed to a likely succession plan with J.J. McCarthy in 2025. And they have precious little draft capital next year (a first-round pick and two fifth-rounders). A big trade before the Nov. 5 deadline might have to involve that first-round pick.”
He also asked the question, “How much of an upgrade is a 36-year-old Stafford over Sam Darnold, the QB who has helped them to that hot start even if his own play has cooled off recently?”
Another Report Disputes the Matthew Stafford Trade Talk
Before Lions fans should start losing sleep over Stafford possibly going to the Vikings, note that on Wednesday, October 23, Vikings reporter Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune said that claim had no value.
Goessling sent out a message on X, stating, “Checking in on the Matthew Stafford-to-the-Vikings rumors I’ve been getting lots of questions about. Source said there’s zero truth to the idea the Vikings are trying to trade for him.”
Of course, that’s just his report, and stranger things have happened than management changing its mind on trade opportunities. Time will tell if Stafford ends up in a purple jersey at some point.
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