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0 out of 5
Wade Payne / Associated press
In the immortal words of great reporter Ron Burgundy, things quickly escalated in the NFL quarterback market.
This market had already been plunged into a binge eating when it learned that Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans was looking for a new helmet. But on Saturday afternoon things got started for another massive loop – with an announcement that teams might not have to send in multiple first-round players to place a proven veteran under center.
This one comes with a 5,000-yard season and everything.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, with another rebuild underway in Detroit, longtime Lions starter Matthew Stafford has requested a trade – and the team have decided to honor his request.
With a 32-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback with 282 career touchdowns available, every team in the league that isn’t sold on its starting position will at least kick the tires on Stafford. Speculation about his next home will be the hottest topics for the days and weeks to come.
But this handful of clubs have the best combination of needs and assets to make this blockbuster successful.
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Brynn Anderson / Associated Press
This first is certainly unlikely, for several reasons.
The Lions may have agreed in theory to trade Stafford, but all things being equal, the team will want to treat him as far as they can. That most certainly means outside of NFC South (sorry, Chicago) – and hopefully completely outside of NFC.
The Saints also face the conundrum of the cap in 2021. According to Over the Cap, no NFL team is worse off when it comes to the salary cap than New Orleans, which sits at over 100. million dollars in the red.
There’s also the issue of Drew Brees’ status, although the tea leaves before his divisional loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers indicated retirement.
But hey, why sweat the details?
The Saints also just won 12 games and the division in 2020. Head coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis both know as well as anyone that the Super Bowl window in New Orleans doesn’t has not closed, it will not be opened. much longer.
It might be worth rebuilding the road a year if that means adding a major upgrade on Taysom Hill to the quarterback.
The good news for Stafford would be his best playoff chance in years.
The bad news would be all of Brees’ “replacement”.
But again… details.
Proposed offer: Choice of round 1 (n ° 28 in total), choice of conditional round 3/4.
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Charles Krupa / Associated Press
It would be the job that defines Joe Douglas’ tenure as general manager of the New York Jets, for better or for worse.
Before Gang Green fans start screaming, no one is suggesting that New York is granting its top pick in 2021 to get Stafford – and that’s what makes it a relatively unlikely deal.
But the Jets have something to offer that other contenders wouldn’t: a former Top-five pick who is still on his rookie deal with quarterback Sam Darnold.
Yes, that assumes new head coach Robert Saleh and the Jets are ready to leave Darnold. But if so, a swap for Stafford allows the new regime to have their proverbial cake and eat it too.
Not only do the Jets get their most proven quarterback in recent memory (who will still be just 33 when the 2021 season begins despite having a dozen years in the NFL under his belt), New York would also still have this. second overall choice. in this year’s draft to use at another post – or swap to recoup the compensation lost by acquiring said veteran flagman.
If Douglas and Saleh are sold, this year’s No.2 and the Jets’ top pick in 2022 would send them soaring.
The Lions, meanwhile, get the runner-up pick on Day 2 this year, a Day 2 pick next year and a young passer who could benefit greatly from a change of scenery.
Proposed offer: Round Pick 2 (# 34 total), Round Pick 3 2022, Quarterback Sam Darnold
3 out of 5
Justin Edmonds / Associated Press
We’re about to find out exactly what new Denver Broncos general manager George Paton thinks about Drew Lock.
Paton is in a tough spot – with the ninth pick overall, he’s probably looking (at best) to be the third team to draft a quarterback in the first round this year. And after Lock’s, especially appalling second season, it’s clear he’s not the long-term answer in Denver.
There is also the matter of an increasingly impatient fan base. Denver has not made the playoffs since winning Super Bowl 50 – a period of futility the team has not overcome since joining the NFL in 1970 and missing the playoffs for seven seasons.
If this rebuilding does not start quickly, the terms of Paton and head coach Vic Fangio will not last long. The latter is already on thin ice.
The Broncos are not a bad football team. There is talent in the skill position at the running back, wide catcher and tight end. The offensive line is at least decent. Any Fangio defense will be at least average – and Denver has the staff (when healthy) to be way more than that.
It comes down to the belief (or lack thereof) that Stafford can get the Broncos the other three to four wins in 2021 that will get them into the playoff conversation.
If Paton’s answer to that question is “yes”, then Detroit’s will be too. If the Broncos offer a top 10 pick, it’s done.
Proposed offer: Choice of round 1 (n ° 9 in total)
4 out of 5
Derik Hamilton / Associated Press
It’s one of those offers that almost makes too much sense.
The Washington football team were the surprise NFC East champions in 2020, despite winning just seven games. Washington may have the best defensive line in the league. Young playmakers at the running back (Antonio Gibson, 22), wide receiver (Terry McLaurin, 25) and tight end (Logan Thomas, 29).
There is only one glaring void on the roster: the quarterback.
Dwayne Haskins Jr. was released during the season. Alex Smith will likely be the returning NFL Player of the Year, but he’s not the player he once was and is considering retiring. Taylor Heinicke was a great story for a playoff game, but as long term solutions go, the “bet” isn’t starting to cover it. And thanks to the division title, Washington barely ranks in the top 20 despite losing more games than it won.
In a dozen (mostly) futile years in Detroit, Stafford has been prolific. It was (mostly) durable. By all indications, he’s a staunch “pro of the pro” through and through.
Stafford would improve Washington’s offense immeasurably – more than any player the franchise could pick at number 19. Fans would love. Head coach Ron Rivera would love it. This would instantly elevate the WFT to division leader status in 2021.
And as it happens, new GM in Washington, Martin Mayhew, is the guy who drafted Stafford first overall in 2009.
It almost looks like fate.
Almost.
Proposed offer: Choice of round 1 (n ° 19 in total), choice of second round 2022
5 out of 5
Adrian Kraus / Associated Press
This is where the “almost” part of the last entry comes in.
There is one GM above all the others who likely tripped the carpet rushing to call the Lions as soon as Stafford news hit the airwaves.
His name is Chris Ballard. And he works in Indianapolis.
The Colts have just won 11 games and made the playoffs for the second time in three years. But with Philip Rivers retiring and Jacoby Brissett about to hit free agency, the only quarterback still on the list at Indy is Jacob Eason.
At Indianapolis, Stafford would play behind one of the best O-lines in the league, with a young upward back to Jonathan Taylor and a stable capable of catching passes. He would almost certainly be willing to relocate and even some.
In turn, a win-now Colts team wouldn’t have to convince themselves that Ryan Fitzpatrick might not be a bad idea in free agency. Or reach a quarterback with the 21st pick.
The addition of a quarterback of Stafford’s caliber (who is also significantly younger than Rivers, 39) is the kind of move that could completely change the trajectory of the franchise – in a good way.
Do it, Mr. Ballard.
Proposed offer: Choice of round 1 (n ° 21 in total), conditional choice of round 2/3, choice of round 6
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