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With the future in sight now that the Detroit Lions have moved on from head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn, the next chess piece is that of quarterback Matthew Stafford. Team owner Sheila Ford Hamp has said her future will not be decided by herself, but by the team’s next head coach. But that hasn’t stopped just about everyone from speculating on what will happen with the Lions franchise quarterback over the past 12 years.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press wrote a thoughtful article on the subject, noting that Detroit’s current position in the draft – well behind two quarterback teams in the Jets and Jaguars – could complicate matters.
“The Lions are going jockeying with several other teams in need of quarterbacks – Washington, Carolina Panthers and possibly the Atlanta Falcons – for the draft position,” Birkett wrote.
Ultimately, Birkett notes that perhaps the most logical option would simply be to keep Stafford for a year to help a rookie in 2021, like the Packers.
Sam Monson threw his hat in the ring on Tuesday, saying it’s time for the Lions to leave their franchise quarterback.
“Everyone continues this season where they put everything in place, where they realize this immense potential for an entire 16 game slate, and that will never come,” said Monson. Monson also dramatically referred to Stafford as a “coach killer,” which I guess is one way you could explain the last 12 years of Lions football.
Earlier this week Matthew Stafford’s friend and former teammate Dan Orlovsky tweeted now was the best time for the two sides to go their separate ways.
“The next hard-hitting move is a full reboot and a departure from Stafford,” Orlovsky said. “It’s about time both in terms of the organization and the position of the players. It did not work.
Of course, the elephant in the room – as it has been several years ago – is Stafford’s contract. Next year, it is expected to cost the Lions $ 33 million in cap space, and Detroit is expected to eat around $ 19 million if they decide to leave Stafford, whether through a press release or through an exchange.
The guys from The Athletic also discussed Stafford’s future, making several good points. Here’s a taste of Nick Baumgardner:
As we’ve discussed, there are ways to move from Stafford to a younger quarterback (we’ve got plenty of college bands to watch in the coming months) that don’t include trading him immediately. Stafford has been here for 12 years and was a soldier for the Fords, however. If he wants to leave, they should listen to him.
Stafford himself was asked about his future on Monday, but chose to put those conversations on hold until the end of the year. That being said, Stafford was asked if he still had the patience to go through yet another diet change, and he gave someone an insightful answer.
“I’m not going to limit myself to anything.”
And now we are waiting.
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Pro Bowl voting is open, if you haven’t noticed it yet. You can also vote on Twitter using the hashtag #ProBowlVote, and that’s exactly what two Lions offensive linemen gassed each other:
- Matthew Stafford continues to receive little help from his recipients:
- November has been a good month for TJ Hockenson:
- Former Lions head coach Jim Caldwell recently joined the Adam Schefter podcast and spoke about his health and his head coaching philosophies. If you don’t have time to listen, Meinke transcribed much of the interview in the Twitter thread below:
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