The 2020 NFL offseason has long been expected to be among the wildest offseasons in recent memory, mainly due to the potential movement among high profile quarterbacks.
The 2020 Draft class features multiple guys who have the ability to change the trajectory of a franchise (Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love). And, as anyone who follows the NFL knows, future Hall of Famers Tom Brady and Philip Rivers are both set to test the open market. Add in the guys like Dak Prescott, Teddy Bridgewater, Jameis Winston, and Ryan Tannehill, and you can see where the coming months could easily become a bit of a spectacle.
One name unexpectedly popped up (seemingly overnight) as a potential trade candidate that could shake things up around the league even more: Detroit Lions signal called Matthew Stafford.
According to a report from WDIV in Detroit, the Lions have been engaging in trade talks revolving around the former No. 1 overall pick for the last couple weeks.
Detroit General Manager Bob Quinn almost instantly shot down the rumors, writing “100% false” in a text message to the Detroit Free Press.
In the hours since the initial report surfaced, speculation ramped up regarding potential landing spots for Stafford (the Chargers, Colts, Dolphins, and Panthers seem to be the most tossed around possibilities).
The reality of the situation is Stafford is more than likely going nowhere. The Lions hold the No. 3 pick in the upcoming draft, and leaking this information (if they indeed actually did leak it) will prove to be nothing more than a crafty attempt at driving up the trade value of their first round pick.
Stafford agreed to a restructured contract (a roster bonus was converted to a signing bonus) in late December to give the Lions more salary cap flexibility making him virtually un-tradeable.
Per Spotrac, if Detroit were to trade the former Georgia Bulldog, they would incur a $32 million dead cap hit. Don’t count on that happening.
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