New England Patriots should make Matthew Stafford trade

With Matthew Stafford appearing to be on his way out of Detroit, the New England Patriots should make a run at trading for the veteran quarterback.

The New England Patriots go into the 2021 offseason with continued questions at the quarterback position following a disappointing season led by Cam Newton under center.

With plenty of options in the free agent market, trade market and upcoming NFL Draft for New England to explore, there is now another quarterback reportedly available that the team should consider.

On Saturday, ESPN Insider Adam Schefter reported veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions are expected to part ways this offseason, ending the veteran’s time in Detroit after 12 seasons.

Schefter added that the Lions will start listening to trade offers for Stafford beginning next week, and the Patriots would be smart to be one of those teams making a call.

There are plenty of things New England needs to do this offseason to improve various aspects of the team, but the top position it needs to focus on comes under center at the quarterback spot. That is why the Patriots should make a run at trading for Stafford to fill that void.

Stafford reportedly has asked the Lions for a fresh start elsewhere in 2021, which means he will at the very least be taking the field for a new team next year and for a remainder of his NFL career. With Dan Campbell taking over as Detroit’s head coach and Brad Holmes recently being hired as the organization’s new general manager, a fresh start for both sides makes sense moving forward.

Stafford, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft, has spent the entirety of his 12-year career in Detroit, totaling 45,109 passing yards and 282 touchdowns through the air during that span. Both of those marks are current franchise records.

Stafford still has enough left in the tank to help a team on offense over the next few years, as he will turn 33 years old in February. If he can stay healthy, which has been the biggest issue of his career thus far, Stafford is still a top-tier quarterback in the NFL.

The toughest thing when it comes to the veteran quarterback is his contract remaining, which is two years and $43 million through the 2022 campaign. The good news for New England is it has plenty of salary cap space available right now to make that deal work.

Detroit would likely ask for a first round draft pick, at the least, to move Stafford. The Patriots currently hold the No. 15 pick in the upcoming draft, which could make for an intriguing trade piece to use along with other assets to acquire Stafford. The Lions already hold the No. 7 pick in the 2021 Draft, which could very well be used to draft a quarterback to replace Stafford.

New England, led by Newton in 2020, had one of the worst passing games in the NFL this season. An upgrade at quarterback along with the acquisition of a few more targets in the passing game would be a huge addition to the Patriots and could be enough to lift the team back to the postseason in 2021.

One thing is for certain in that it appears the Lions and Stafford will be parting ways for the first time this offseason. And the team that should be the first to get on the phone and see what it would take to acquire the veteran quarterback is New England.