Former NFL linebacker Chad Brown broke the news back in December on 104.3 The Fan in Denver that the Detroit Lions were going to move on from franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Since then, teams continue to join the sweepstakes in attempting to trade for the former No. 1 overall pick, but in my eyes, there are three destinations that make the most sense for the 32 year old gunslinger.
San Francisco 49ers
Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch are not scared to make bold moves. Last year, they traded away DeForest Buckner and used the pick they got back in return to draft Javon Kinlaw. The 49ers also drafted Brandon Aiyuk and made a trade for All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams. Needless to say, dealing for Stafford is definitely not out of the realm of possibilities for San Francisco.
San Francisco traded a second round pick to the New England Patriots for Jimmy Garoppolo in 2017, and he has quarterbacked the 49ers (when not injured) since. Last offseason the 49ers front office had floated around the idea of targeting Tom Brady in free agency, but with Brady near the end of his career they thought it would be better to continue with Garoppolo.
Fast forward to the offseason of 2021, and the 49ers will have to again decide if Garoppolo is their guy.
Garoppolo has more playoff experience and a better playoff record than Stafford (Stafford has yet to win a playoff game in his 12-year career). Stafford would fit in seamlessly with the weapons that Shanahan has assembled in George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Aiyuk. The Niners could also offer Stafford one of the league’s premier rushing attacks to fall back on — that would be something he rarely had in Detroit.
Stafford’s contract is comparable to Garoppolo’s with both having similar money and only two years left on their deals. If the 49ers think they can possibly give up that 12th overall pick to Detroit and that Stafford will keep them healthy and get them over the hump, they should make this deal happen.
Denver Broncos
The quarterback carousel in Denver continues to spin. Since Peyton Manning walked away from the game, the Broncos have yet to find that franchise quarterback. Everyone hoped it would be Drew Lock, but after ranking as the worst quarterback in the NFL this past season, Denver could be looking to upgrade the position once again. The only difference this time is that John Elway isn’t the general manager anymore — that title belongs to George Paton.
Paton flew south to join the Broncos after a long stint with the Minnesota Vikings being Rick Spielman’s right hand man. Paton helped make a lot of the decisions in Minnesota, which included going through a number of quarterbacks there as well. During Paton’s tenure, Minnesota acquired guys like Brett Favre, Sam Bradford, Case Keenum, and Kirk Cousins. Knowing this, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Paton made another move for a quarterback in his first couple of months on the job in Denver.
With it being unlikely that the Broncos get involved in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, they will almost surely make a call or two to Detroit for Stafford.
Denver has something that all of the other potential teams interested in Stafford have. That’s a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft.
The Broncos are currently picking 9th, which has to be appealing to the Lions. Detroit will likely be looking for at least a first round pick in return for Stafford to pair with their 7th overall pick in the draft.
What else could Denver offer though? The Broncos have plenty of draft capital to offer up the Lions, who only have five picks in this year’s draft. If the Broncos were willing to give up some of their young talent like a Dre’Mont Jones or even one of their young wide receivers it could ultimately be enough to get the deal done.
So why would Denver be intriguing to Matthew Stafford? Their young talent on offense.
The Broncos have improved their offensive line and gave their All-Pro left tackle Garett Bolles a contract extension to secure his future with the team. Denver has a potential Pro Bowler at left guard in Dalton Risner and former Stafford teammate Graham Glasgow at right guard. Denver will also have right tackle Ja’Wuan James back at right tackle and Lloyd Cushenberry at center for his second year.
The most intriguing part about the Broncos offense is their receiving weapons. The Broncos have a Pro Bowl wide receiver in Courtland Sutton who Stafford could use like Calvin Johnson. Denver also has Jerry Jeudy, who is arguably the best route runner in the NFL, and second-year speedster K.J. Hamler. The tight end position is ready to break out with Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam. With the right quarterback, this offense could be elite.
Stafford has only had one 1,000 yard rusher in his career and that came from Reggie Bush in 2013. Denver has Phillip Lindsay who has done that twice in his three-year career and Melvin Gordon who was 14 yards away from 1,000 yards in 2020.
Don’t forget that Paton has a connection with Chris Spielman who was just hired within the organization in Detroit.
Indianapolis Colts
From Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck to Philip Rivers, the Colts can add another top 10 quarterback to their franchise. Indianapolis seems to be the favorite to land Stafford and for a legit reason. They’re the team in need of a quarterback that is closest to competing for a world championship.
Last season they went all in with Philip Rivers on a one-year deal to see if the can create some Super Bowl magic with Frank Reich. Unfortunately, they fell short to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Indianapolis has an established offensive line that will keep Stafford upright and the Colts are on the verge of having a really good running game with Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines. That’s something that Stafford hasn’t really had. The only downfall is that the Colts might not have the best receiving weapons. The Colts will also need to add a left tackle to protect Stafford’s blindside.
The Colts finished last season with a top-10 defense and aren’t afraid to pull the trigger on a blockbuster deal. With the Lions potentially wanting a first-round pick in return, the Colts would have no problem trading away the No. 21 overall pick in April’s draft. The Broncos on the other hand would have to think long and hard if they were willing to give up the 9th overall pick.
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