On Thursday morning, everyone awoke to a late-night report that the Detroit Lions are speaking to teams about possibly trading Matthew Stafford. Just hours after the report surfaced, Lions GM Bob Quinn denied the Stafford trade rumors.
The report that Stafford was being shopped around was spread by WDIV-TV (a local news network in Detroit). According to their sources, the talks to deal Stafford “have been underway for a couple of weeks.”
This past season, Stafford was having one of the best years of his career. Through the first eight weeks, the veteran signal-caller threw for 2,499 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Sadly, a back injury would prevent Stafford from playing in another game in 2019. Prior to this season, the former first-overall pick had started in 128 straight games for the Lions.
Due to his back issues over the last two seasons, some have created the narrative that Stafford could be dealt this offseason. However, nearly a month ago, Quinn shared that Detroit is “totally comfortable” with Stafford returning in 2020.
Also, the Lions own the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Therefore, they are in a prime position to select their future quarterback if they chose to do so. If Detroit decides to select a quarterback, it would likely be Tua Tagovailoa out of Alabama.
At 32 years old, Stafford is getting prepared to enter his 12th season in the NFL. Despite his back-injury concerns, Detroit seems excited to get him back after another disappointing campaign in 2019. Even though Quinn denied the Stafford trade rumors, there are still teams that will likely call to check on his availability.
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