Matthew Stafford fits in: these five teams are likely to put Lions ahead

For years, NFL fans have wondered what the ceiling would be for a quarterback with Matthew Stafford’s arm talent if only he could escape from the Detroit Lions franchise. We do not mean at all that Lions fans are offended, but with constant turnover in the front office, they did not exactly do the best job of delivering Stafford a strong cast. The same can be said about the lack of stability from a coaching staff. The fans who hoped to see Stafford with a better team around him will now finally get their wish. The Detroit Lions and Stafford spent a few weeks after the offseason their options and they allegedly agreed to part ways.

The next step in the process will be for the Lions to open the phone lines and start bidding for their franchise quarterback. The bid is expected to be heavy. According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Nework, Stafford has expressed a desire for a fresh start in recent weeks and the Lions have agreed to place him on the trade block. The two parties have had ‘open and healthy’ discussions since the regular season ended, and with a new head coach in Dan Campbell and a new offensive coordinator, it certainly seems like the right time to make a change.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Lions are expected to get at least a first round in exchange for Stafford, although there are many quarters that are on the market according to the off-season. So which teams will abandon their veteran caller for the first time? There is expected to be a lot of interest from various teams.

Below we will break down five teams that need to at least pick up the phone and be able to call the Lions over their quarterback. Stafford has many connections in the league so he can play under a head coach or general manager with whom he is familiar in 2021.

As CBS Sports’s RJ White noted, the new general manager of Washington, Martin Mayhew, was the general manager in Detroit when Stafford was drafted in 2009 with the best choice. That turned out to be a good decision and the University of Georgia prospect set several franchise and NFL records during his tenure with the Lions. Washington does have Alex Smith, who has made a remarkable NFL comeback this past season, but he has struggled to stay healthy due to other persistent injuries. Washington had to start traveler Taylor Heinicke in his post-season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Washington has a star receiver in Terry McLaurin, a talented rookie in 2020 running back in Antonio Gibson and an elite defense highlighted by a defensive line consisting of all first-rounders. Even with a healthy Smith, Washington can upgrade to the quarterback position, and that could be a legitimate contender. Washington needs to link whether the Lions will accept the overall choice in the NFL draft in 2021.

Philip Rivers recently announced his retirement, and of course, the Colts are also in the market for a new starting quarterback. Like Washington, it’s a team that’s only a quarter of an hour away, but they’re much closer to being a legitimate competitor. Rivers led the Colts to an 11-5 record last season – which was their best campaign since 2014. It’s a franchise that has had bad luck with the quarterback position since parting ways with Peyton Manning. Andrew Luck decided to hang the clamps early, Jacoby Brissett did not take his chance as an appetizer, and Rivers gave Indy just one season. Stafford is still under contract for two more years and it looks like he still has a lot left. He also still has an elite arm talent and knows how to spread the ball to several talented extensions so he can fit right in like TY Hilton and Michael Pittman Jr.

The 49ers have Jimmy Garoppolo under contract for at least two more seasons, but that does not mean San Francisco will not move away from him this season. Last month, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about Garoppolo, and he did not sound very confident about his franchise fullback.

“You can say nothing with certainty,” the coach told reporters. by Nick Wagoner of ESPN. “You do not sit here and promise nothing. If you build a football team, it is your job to put together the best team year in and year out.”

Shanahan did open his dialogue by saying he believes Garoppolo ‘will be our quarterback next year’, but his answers to questions about his quarterback certainly sounded like he was open to a change. It’s hard to believe anything you hear from coaches. Remember when the Cardinals in Arizona said Josh Rosen was their quarterback before drafting Kyler Murray? The 49ers were only removed from the Super Bowl for one year, but they were unable to make the playoffs last season. With a solid defense and then versatile weapons like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, this team would immediately fight again if they were to upgrade to the quarterback position.

Former Lions head coach Matt Patricia is returning to the Patriots so he can perhaps speak a good word to Bill Belichick about Stafford. The Cam Newton experiment did not work and the Patriots are again looking for a new quarterback to fill the void left by Tom Brady. It’s true that New England has a lot of holes to fill on the offensive side of the ball this season, but the quarterback issue is clearly the most important. Stafford’s contract is affordable, the Patriots have the overall choice of no. 15 and Belichick obviously has some success when it comes to working with a veteran switch and developing a system around him that works.

After being 4-1 as a rookie, Drew Lock took a step back in his second season. He won just four of the 13 games, and completed 57.3 percent of his passes for 2,933 yards, 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Despite having two capable runners and plenty of weapons to throw the ball to, Lock’s inconsistencies over the past season have held back the offense in several games, which could lead one to believe that someone else will be the center in 2021 start. John Elway is no longer the shooter in Denver, but he’s still in the front office and could be a fan of a big-arm veteran who fits the prototypical structure. The Broncos can also be considered a team that is not a quarterback of success as they have young guns in Tim Patrick, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler and then Noah Fant. It would also be beneficial to train Lock for a year or two behind a veteran.