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Thanksgiving dinner for the Detroit Lions and their fans was spoiled at the hands of the Chicago Bears. The Lions fell to their division rivals, 23-16, in what was a snooze fest of a game. The only exciting moment came towards the end when Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a pick six to Bears defender Eddie Jackson.
A moment that Lions fans are too familiar with when it comes to their $92 million guaranteed quarterback. Stafford has been less than stellar this season. He hasn’t lived up to the worth of his contract this season, which explains the current standing of the Lions.
It’s no secret that Matthew Stafford is insanely overpaid and with each passing game he proves that he isn’t the franchise quarterback that the Lions thought they were extending. With that said, is it time for the Detroit Lions to consider trading Matthew Stafford?
Of course it is. This consideration should’ve occurred weeks ago, but there is no way any team would trade for Stafford with his contract. To give up assets to take on that massive deal for an average quarterback would backtrack any franchise. His value is at an all-time low, which in a business sense isn’t a smart move for the Lions. They would hardly get anything in return. Trading him away would just be a money dump move for the franchise because no one is giving up serious collateral for him.
Stafford has not done himself any favors this season. Before the trade deadline, he had an ample supply of weapons at both receiver and running back. The supporting cast was there, so there were no excuses as to why Stafford can’t produce. Now that Golden Tate has been shipped out and Kerryon Johnson is injured, it definitely puts a strain on Stafford. However, it’s still difficult to try to give him a break considering his contract and years in the league.
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If there is any true blame to be placed elsewhere aside from Stafford it’s the Detroit Lions management. They hired Matt Patricia, a defensive specialist, as their head coach. Rather than hiring an offensive minded coach to optimize Stafford’s abilities.
The Lions clearly have no idea what direction they want to go in. They invested so much into Stafford, yet they don’t compliment him with a coach on his side of the ball. Giving him a solid supporting cast is helpful, but the impact of a coach is immeasurable. The Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams are perfect examples of that.
Finding a trade recipient for Matthew Stafford is impossible, so the Lions are just going to have to ride it out. Drafting a QB in this upcoming draft would be ideal. Let him sit the 2019 season to learn, then roll him out in 2020.
It’s essentially mirroring what the Kansas City Chiefs did with Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes, which is paying off dividends. Other than development and momentum building for next season there isn’t much to look for the rest of 2018 for the Detroit Lions.
