Should Cleveland Browns Trade for Matthew Stafford?

It is not yet December, and there are already rumors linking current Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland’s offseasons seemingly begin earlier and earlier anymore.

ALSO ON SPIN ZONE: Who are the greatest defensive players in NFL history?

The Browns currently do not have a franchise quarterback on the roster. Josh McCown is a 36-year-old journeyman veteran who may be one hit away from deciding that he is no longer about this life. Johnny Manziel remains a project, one that has undeniably improved from his rookie season but a QB who also needs work if he is to prove himself to be a starter in the National Football League. Austin Davis probably isn’t the answer for the Browns under center.

Enter Mr. Stafford, who features for a Lions side that may be a bigger mess than the Browns as of November 2015. Detroit did not wait until the offseason to fire general manager Martin Mayhew and team president Tom Lewand. All indications are that the Lions are about two months away from a reboot. It is thus understandable that a player such as Stafford could be on the market.

The Browns. Stafford. It just makes sense, right?

Maybe.

Stafford would, on paper, be the best quarterback the Browns have had since returning to the NFL in 1999. He has thrown for over 4,200 passing yards in each of his past four seasons (h/t ESPN). Stafford is on his way to ending another campaign with at least 4,000 yards. Unlike McCown, Stafford is just 27-years-old, meaning that the current Detroit starting QB may not yet have hit his athletic prime.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

Why, if Stafford has shown that he has the goods to be a winning QB, would the Lions part ways with him at this point of his career? For starters, a new regime that includes a new front office and (probably) a new coaching staff may want to go a different direction at QB. Having the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft would make it even easier for the Lions to move on from Stafford if new leadership believes that a true franchise QB will be coming out of college.

Stafford has been far from perfect during his tenure with the Lions. He has thrown double-digit interceptions in each of the six seasons in which he has started at least eight regular season games. Stafford has already been picked off 11 times in eight starts this season. What may have been a low point for Stafford occurred last month when he was benched in the third quarter of a blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Stafford was replaced by veteran Dan Orlovsky.

As with many things in a league that has a hard salary cap, Stafford’s future in Detroit could come down to money. Stafford will, per Spotrac, carry a base salary of $17 million for 2016. The number drops by $500,000 for the last year of his contract.

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explained earlier this month, trading Stafford is not the only reasonable option for the Lions following the current campaign:

"Based on the contract extension (Stafford) signed in 2013, the Lions can release him with a post-June 1 cap charge of $5.5 million in 2016 and $5.5 million in 2017. All teams can designate up to two players as a post-June 1 cap charge, clearing them off the roster before that.Alternatively, the Lions can release Stafford without the June 1 designation for a 2016 cap hit of $11 million; he’d then be off the books for 2017. The Lions also can trade Stafford before June 1 with the same cap hit, again taking him off the books completely for all future cap years.Of course, it could be hard to find a trade partner, given that Stafford has a $17 million salary in 2016."

What team has the necessary cap space to acquire Stafford via a trade? The Browns would still have space left over (h/t Spotrac) were they to trade for Stafford during the winter. Cleveland may, however, be doing the Lions a favor by making Detroit’s decision on Stafford easier. Besides, the Browns are not just a great quarterback away from evolving into a contender. McCown has played well in 2015, and yet the Browns are once again headed toward a losing season.

One other thing should be pointed out about Stafford. Stafford has had wide receiver Calvin Johnson as a weapon since his first NFL season. Johnson was, in his prime, one of the best WRs of his generation. That age and also injuries are slowing “Megatron” down in 2015 could be an explanation for why Stafford has looked below-average this season.

Of the two, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN believe that it is Johnson and not Stafford who could be leaving Detroit this coming winter:

"Here’s how it breaks down: Johnson is due $15.95 million in base salary in 2016. It’s not an outrageous number in light of trending contracts for premium receivers, but the salary cap number based on prior bonuses is about $24 million. By dumping him, Johnson would count only $8 million on the Lions’ salary cap. Maybe they could go sign Bears pending free agent Alshon Jeffery at a more friendly deal.The speculation on Stafford is almost laughable, except nobody really knows who will be calling the shots for the Lions when they restructure their organization. In a small sample survey of seven NFL coaches and personnel men, they were unanimous that the Lions would be foolish to part with Stafford. He’s too talented, his toughness is not in question, he works at the high level necessary for an NFL starting quarterback and, people who have coached and played with Stafford reject any idea his football acumen is lacking."

Hopeful Browns fans who would point out that the club has Josh Gordon waiting to return to action next year would do well to remember that Gordon is not technically a NFL player right now. Gordon merely has an opportunity to possibly apply for reinstatement after the Super Bowl. The Browns cannot yet count on Gordon being able to play even a down of meaningful football next fall.

Next: Browns Are Infected By Losing

There are too many variables for anybody to adequately speculate on Stafford-to-Browns rumors. For starters, Stafford may be too expensive for Cleveland’s tastes. Even a second-round pick for Stafford could be looked at as a reach considering he has just two years left on his contract. The people who will decide if Stafford should be shopped may not be working for the Lions today. Heck, the Browns could have a new general manager and new coaching staff before Valentine’s Day 2016 arrives.

One thing is clear: The “silly season” has already begun for the Browns.