Which is clear after Saturday night’s news, after asking around in the NFL front offices: Matthew Stafford wants to be a winner. He doesn’t care about the statistics. He wants a chance to fight.
That’s the crux of his trade request, which the Detroit Lions will honor by exploring options for the quarterback in the market. He gave it 12 years in Detroit. It did not work. That’s okay for both parties to admit. And there has never been a cleaner time to do this for three reasons.
Age: Stafford turns 33 next month (OK, so maybe 40 in Lions years) and should have a few prime seasons left.
Contract: His deal is fair by high-level quarterback standards. Stafford, who will qualify for free employment agency by 2023, is owed $ 53 million over the next two seasons. In fact, that’s the same promise that Tampa Bay made to Tom Brady last season. The $ 10 million roster bonus is due on the fifth day of the competition year, creating a sort of trading deadline. And the maximum hits for the next two years are $ 33 million and $ 26 million, the former of which could be offset by the Lions taking on the remaining $ 10 million in bonus pro.
Compensation: Stafford will be expensive, but the consensus on the competition is that it won’t be outrageous. While Deshaun Watson could justify a large number of picks in any Houston transaction, Stafford is generally considered in that next tier. And maybe, with a new scene, Stafford’s game will reach a new stratosphere.
So what would it take to land Stafford of the Lions? And which teams should be in the mix? Here’s how it all lines up, based on phone calls to league executives over the weekend.