Ranking starting quarterbacks for each NFL team

12. Matt Stafford, Detroit Lions

This will be an interesting season for Stafford and the Lions, as they try to move on from the Calvin Johnson era under new general manager Bob Quinn.

Although Stafford has taken some heat for Detroit’s poor record in 2015, it was far from his fault, as the 2009 No. overall pick threw for over 4,000 yards with a TD:INT ratio of 32:13. Stafford is not perfect and can be prone to mistakes, but the Lions would be unwise to try to move in another direction.

Still, there’s been a few rumors that Detroit may try to trade Stafford with only two years and a huge amount of money left on his contract. Even if unlikely, it’s something worth keeping an eye on with the Lions in complete rebuilding mode once again.

Doing so would be a mistake, as finding a better quarterback than Stafford through the draft will be very difficult. Despite the poor record and struggling team around him, Stafford put up the best full season of his career other than 2011 last year.

As Stafford is just 28 years old, he should be able to maintain his current level of play, which is at least good enough for Detroit to be playoff contenders. While losing Johnson is tough, Golden Tate and Marvin Jones are still good enough wide receivers to help Stafford put up big numbers again.

Next: 12. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys