Rumors have started to swirl about Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford being shopped on the trade market this offseason. As a result, general manager Bob Quinn is now doing what he can to downplay the rumors.

The local coverage in Detroit has doubled down on the notion that Detroit is gauging what kind of return they would get for Stafford. Quinn is adamant that there is no truth to these reports, via Tori Petry of the team's website:

“He’s our quarterback. All those rumors, I’m not sure exactly where they came from, but they were, like I said before, 100 percent false,” Quinn said.

The recent reports seem to rely heavily on the comments made by Stafford's wife on social media in response to all the trade speculation. Of course, it remains to be seen if Detroit is simply doing their due diligence or if a deal is actually coming to fruition. Quinn's comments suggest that could not be further from the truth.

The Lions appear to be on the cusp of a significant rebuild following another losing season under head coach Matt Patricia. As a result, they have been pegged as co-favorites with the Miami Dolphins to land Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Fortunately, keeping Stafford and drafting Tagovailoa is not mutually exclusive for Detroit. They would have plenty to lose and not much to gain by parting ways with their longtime starter under center this offseason. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how they go about sparking a potential resurgence for the 2020 NFL season.