Matthew Stafford will be on the move after 12 years as the Detroit Lions starting quarterback.
With a new regime coming to town, the Detroit Lions are expected to trade franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford at some point this offseason.
Stafford has been a stabilizing force to a perpetually chaotic franchise. Despite never having a great running game, Stafford has helped guide the lowly Lions to the NFC playoffs three times in 12 seasons. In his early 30s, Stafford offers a huge amount of upside for any team who trades for him. Here are the latest odds of where he could end up in 2021. Odds are from SportsBetting.ag.
Betting odds on Matthew Stafford’s next NFL team
- Indianapolis Colts: +300
- San Francisco 49ers: +350
- Denver Broncos: +400
- Washington Football Team: +450
- Carolina Panthers: +700
- New England Patriots: +800
- Las Vegas Raiders: +1000
Stafford will have plenty of suitors, even entering a season with a shrinking salary cap and several top-tier prospects joining the league via the 2021 NFL Draft. Oddsmakers suggest the Indianapolis Colts are the favorites to land Stafford’s services at +300, followed up by the San Francisco 49ers at +350, the Denver Broncos at +400 and the Washington Football Team at +450.
Indianapolis made the playoffs a season ago with Philip Rivers as their starting quarterback. However, with him retiring and his backup Jacoby Brissett entering free agency, that leaves the Colts with a former five-star, turned day-two pick Jacob Eason and a bunch of questions. If Frank Reich and the Colts land Stafford, they will be the presumptive favorites to win the AFC South.
The 49ers would be an interesting fit as well. There is a definite ceiling with Jimmy Garoppolo under center. If Stafford wants to know what it would be like to play for Kyle Shanahan, he can reach out to his quarterbacking buddy Matt Ryan, who won NFL MVP and reached Super Bowl 51 with the 2016 Atlanta Falcons when Shanahan was his offensive coordinator. This is a good fit.
Seeing the Broncos come in at +400 signifies that nobody in Denver is sold on Drew Lock. With George Paton coming over from the Minnesota Vikings to be their new general manager, he is not attached to Lock, head coach Vic Fangio or any quarterbacking mess his predecessor/new boss John Elway put this team through before. Stafford could be the next Peyton Manning in Denver.
And with Washington, this is a very intriguing spot because its new general manager Martin Mayhew was the guy who drafted Stafford No. 1 overall out of Georgia back in 2009. Washington is a division winner from a season ago, but has plenty of concerns regarding the quarterback position. If Stafford goes to the nation’s capital, Washington is an easy favorite to repeat.
Overall, Stafford will almost certainly end up in a better situation than the one he had been a part of for a decade-plus in Detroit. Though he has been beaten up playing for the Lions, Stafford still has plenty of high-quality ball left in the tank. Here is to new beginnings for he and his family. Hopefully, we get to see that rocket right arm finally win a playoff game before Stafford retires.
Whoever ends up trading for Stafford becomes an instant playoff threat for the 2021 NFL season.