Detroit Lions: 5 reasons why Calvin Johnson trade rumors won’t amount to anything

Oct 25, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws the ball during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field. The Vikings won 28-19. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The Stafford Impact

If you trade Johnson, it means that you are forcing Stafford to play out the rest of the season with Tate, Ebron, and Abdullah as his only legit weapons, and that’s not even mentioning the awful play of the offensive line so far this year. That’s setting both the team and him up for failure, and it could even have long-term effects on his confidence.

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Trading Stafford has been suggested, but his contract seems to be immovable. It’s not unfeasible to think that a 27-year-old with insane arm talent and some past success will still have high enough trade value to make it worth trading him, especially since coaches around the league will think they can “fix” him. The rewards of fixing his mechanics, pocket presence, etc. are high, but it might just be impossible to fix those. They’re ingrained, and quarterbacks don’t suddenly change after six seasons, which is something we’ve seen with fellow NFC North gunslinger Jay Cutler.

The Lions themselves are probably as likely to believe in Stafford as a franchise QB as other teams, and they are probably even less comfortable with hunting for a new franchise QB. Trading Johnson might mean trading Stafford, since they’d run the risk of running him into the ground this season (perhaps hurting his future trade value) and/or would have to find a new stud receiver to help him succeed in the future.

More importantly, moving on from Stafford might mean moving on from the current coaching staff and GM, since it’s hard to see the current regime getting the chance to pick a new QB after their massive failures to start the 2015 season. This is all pure speculation, but even if the GM-HC tandem lasts and Stafford is traded or retained, the Lions could be train-wreck without Megatron (again, regardless of whether or not Stafford stays). Are the Lions willing to take that abuse, especially with their coach/GM possibly on the hot seat due to their current 1-6 start?

Next: Megatron is too important right now