Getty Matthew Stafford high-fives a teammate in Chicago.
The Detroit Lions are pondering trade ideas for Matthew Stafford at the moment, and they are likely already sorting out what deals make the most sense for the team moving forward.
As Cynthia Frelund of NFL Network says, the Lions need to drive a hard bargain when it comes to Stafford. Her opinion is that the team needs to demand more than a mid-first-round pick for the quarterback. If the Lions do not get that return, the deal won’t be a good one for them to make.
Rumors have held that the Lions should be able to get a solid if not fantastic return for Stafford, but the team does need to be very careful in negotiations as Frelund hints. The Lions can’t afford to get into a situation where they overplay their hand and seem desperate, although many will contend that is already the case now. Even such, the genuine interest of teams indicates that Detroit should be poised to get fair value or beyond from this future trade.
When multiple teams are calling, the conditions for a bidding war will always exist. At this point, the Lions simply have to stick to their guns in terms of cost.
Lions Should Have High Asking Price for Matthew Stafford
Detroit can afford to be choosy in this situation. The relationship with Stafford might be over, but the Lions don’t necessarily have to move on even though the genie is out of the bottle in terms of his future. As a result, the Lions need to remain firm in their asking price, and the offer should be at minimum a first-round pick in 2021 with a package of other picks this season or extra picks in 2022. One of those elements could be swapped for a young player if Detroit wants to get creative and the value remains fair.
Regardless, the Lions seem likely to get what they want in the end for Stafford. At this point, the only thing left to be seen is what teams are interested and who brings a strong enough offer in order to help facilitate the deal.
Matthew Stafford Trade Talks Underway
This week, some new reports about Stafford’s availability and interest have already surfaced pointing to this being a fast-moving process set to play out. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter explained, teams have already begun reaching out to the Lions about a potential deal and trying to figure out the asking price for the Lions on their quarterback.
Teams already are reaching out to the Detroit Lions to initiate trade talks and figure out what it would take to acquire QB Matthew Stafford, per sources.
The minute Stafford was revealed to be on the market, the phone lines of Brad Holmes and company likely lit up, so this is no surprise. At this point, it simply goes to show that the Lions are ready and willing for a move, as are the other teams they are speaking with at this point in time. For any trade to happen, willing partners have to engage and the process is now officially underway as it relates to that.
So far, it looks as if the market for Stafford is going to be massive which should allow the Lions to sift through and find an excellent deal that helps their franchise. Perhaps they won’t have to worry about a bad deal when all is said and done.
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Analyst Sets Ideal Lions Return for Matthew Stafford Trade