DETROIT, MICHIGAN – NOVEMBER 15: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
The Lions need to do Matthew Stafford a solid and trade him to one of these three teams.
The end of the Matt Patricia era with the Detroit Lions is all but certain, as this organization has taken a few massive steps in the wrong direction after booting Jim Caldwell. One of the few holdovers from that era who continues to produce is quarterback Matthew Stafford, who still has one of the league’s strongest arms and is still putting up numbers in Darrell Bevell’s offense.
While Stafford has an out in his contract after this season, the $24 million in dead cap Detroit would pick up means that a trade is more likely if the Lions want to completely tear it down. Stafford can still make plays, and he could be QB1 for these three teams.
Any one of these three teams should look into trading for Matthew Stafford
3
New England Patriots
AFC East
While the passing stats look below-average, Cam Newton has been doing a solid job of leading the New England offense considering the complete lack of quality skill position talent around him. Having said that, Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick completely overhauled the offense to fit Newton’s style of play, but it hasn’t translated into wins. Going back to the offense they ran with Brady while adding ina few more deep shots might be the best course of action in 2021, and Stafford is an ideal quarterback to run that system.
In 19 starts with Bevell as his offensive coordinator over the last two seasons, Stafford has 37 touchdowns against just 13 interceptions, using his arm talent to squeeze it into tight windows while testing defenses downfield. The AFC East remains wide open, as Tua Tagovailoa is far from a sure thing at this juncture and the Buffalo Bills are still a player or two away from being true contenders. When the COVID-19 opt-outs return to this defense, adding Stafford to their offense could be so transformative it gets New England back into the postseason.