Which is clear after Saturday night’s news after he asked in the NFL front offices: Matthew Stafford wants to be a winner. He does not care about the statistics. He wants a chance to argue.
This is the core of his trade request, which the Detroit Lions will fulfill by exploring quarterback options on the market. He gave it 12 years in Detroit. It did not work. It is good that both parties are acknowledging this. And for three reasons, there has never been a cleaner time to do so.
Age: Stafford turns 33 next month (OK, so maybe 40 in Lions years) and will have a few more first seasons left.
Contract: His deal is reasonable for high-level quarterback standards. Stafford, which qualifies for a free agency in 2023, owes $ 53 million over the next two seasons. This is basically the same commitment that Tampa Bay made to Tom Brady last season. The $ 10 million roster bonus is payable on the fifth day of the league year, creating a kind of deadline. The maximum hits for the next two years are $ 33 million and $ 26 million, the first of which can be reimbursed by the Lions taking up the remaining $ 10 million of bonus proration.
Compensation: Stafford will be expensive, but the consensus around the league is that it will not be outrageous. Deshaun Watson may justify being in any trade in Houston for a while, but Stafford is usually considered in the next level. And perhaps, with a new scene, Stafford’s play hits a new stratosphere.
What would it take to land Stafford of the Lions? And which teams should be in the mix? Here’s how it all works out, based on calls made in the league over the weekend.