Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford trade rumors an obvious draft ploy
Rumors began swirling about Matthew Stafford potentially being on the trade block for the Detroit Lions but it’s clearly a draft ploy by one of two teams.
On Wednesday night, the future of quarterback Matthew Stafford with the Detroit Lions was called into question. Many had speculated about the possibility of the organization moving on from the signal-caller but Detroit’s WDIV-TV reported that the Lions had been discussing trading Stafford for “a couple of weeks”.
However, it didn’t take Lions general manager Bob Quinn long at all to try and shoot down those rumors. Quinn texted Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press and told him that the Stafford trade rumors were “100% False!!” So that’s the end of the story, right?
In a way, that is the case. In the case of what Quinn is saying, it’s easy to believe that the 32-year-old former No. 1 overall pick isn’t going to be traded this offseason. Yes, he’s coming off a season in which he missed eight games due to a back injury but he’s been a relatively consistent performer for Detroit, a franchise in which Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia have an edict from ownership to win now coming off of a 3-12-1 season in 2019.
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Subsequently, it’s unlikely that Quinn or Patricia would be keen on moving on from Stafford as they likely need a veteran to accomplish winning now. But it’s also unlikely that the trade rumors came out of nowhere. So what then is the meaning behind the initial reports?
It seems relatively obvious that the explanation is one of two things, both of which pertain to the 2020 NFL Draft and a potential frenzy inside the top five regarding quarterbacks.
There is a case to be made that Quinn and the Lions leaked the rumors themselves as a smokescreen. If they were to trade Matthew Stafford, then that would put them in the market for a quarterback in the 2020 draft, meaning that the No. 3 pick they hold becomes increasingly valuable. That could drive up the price if teams like the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina Panthers or others wanted to trade up so to grab a quarterback, likely Tua Tagovailo.
However, the other possible culprit behind these rumors surfacing is the Washington Redskins, who own the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
It’s been assumed for quite some time now that Washington is content to sit at No. 2 and grab the best overall prospect in the draft, Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young. However, if they were to get a king’s ransom offer for the pick, that could change things. And drumming up buzz that the Lions could be interested in a quarterback at No. 3 would drastically increase the value of their pick.
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Either way, don’t expect Stafford to be on the move this offseason. Whether the Lions or the Redskins, this is clearly a draft ploy to try and increase trade value of a pick. What will be interesting, though, is if the ploy is successful, even with Quinn posturing that they aren’t trading their veteran quarterback.