What’s clear after Saturday night’s news, after asking about the NFL’s main offices: Matthew Stafford wants to be a winner. He doesn’t care about statistics. He wants an opportunity to fight.
This is the core of their commercial application, which the Detroit Lions will fulfill by exploring options for the quarterback in the market. It gave him 12 years in Detroit. It didn’t work. It’s okay for both parties to admit it. And there was never a cleaner time to do it, for three reasons.
Age: Stafford will turn 33 next month (okay, maybe 40 from here in Lions) and there should be a few more seasons left.
Contract: His deal is reasonable by high-level quarterback standards. Stafford, who is eligible for a free agency in 2023, has $ 53 million over the next two seasons. This is basically the same commitment Tampa Bay made with Tom Brady last season. The $ 10 million roster bonus is due on the fifth day of the league year, which creates a deadline for the trade. And the cap for the next two years is $ 33 million and $ 26 million, the first of which could be offset if the lions absorb the remaining $ 10 million to sign the bonus proration.
Compensation: Stafford will be costly, but the consensus around the league is that this will not be outrageous. While Deshaun Watson could justify a lot of selections in any Houston trade, Stafford is generally considered at this next level. And perhaps, with a new scene, Stafford’s game reaches a new stratosphere.
So what would it take to land Stafford of the Lions? And what teams should be part of it? Here’s a rundown of everything, based on calls made to executives across the league over the weekend.