Lions: 3 NFL teams who should trade for Matthew Stafford in 2021
By John Buhler
NFC. Washington Football Team. 1. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. East. 58
How about a reunion with the guy who drafted you No. 1 overall out of Georgia?
The place that makes easily the most sense for Stafford would be the Washington Football Team. This was a playoff team a season ago, and despite their sub-.500 record, Ron Rivera‘s club played outstanding ball down the stretch. Washington has a great defensive line with an emerging star in Chase Young. The biggest thing they need is a franchise quarterback to help set them free.
It became crystal clear that Dwayne Haskins was not the answer, as they booted him before the end of his second season. Rivera may like Kyle Allen, but he is a stop-gap starter if anything. And as much as we love Alex Smith, who knows if his leg has even one more football season left in it? So unless Washington wants to draft someone like Mac Jones, the team needs to get Stafford.
What makes this very easy is the man who drafted Stafford No. 1 out of Georgia is now the Washington general manager. Martin Mayhew spent the better part of Stafford’s career as the Lions general manager. With Rivera, they will look to build a team that embraces the best parts of those playoff Lions teams, his great Carolina Panthers teams and what Washington is about now.
By trading for Stafford, this puts Washington firmly in win-now mode. They would be the favorites to repeat in the NFC East. The best part is he would be arguably the best quarterback in the division, depending on if you prefer Stafford over Prescott, should he return to the Cowboys for a sixth year. Either way, Washington needs to be the first team to call up Detroit to strike a deal.
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Overall, there will be even more possible suitors for Stafford’s services. His former Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell now works for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Pittsburgh Steelers are going year-by-year with Ben Roethlisberger. And how desperate are the rival Chicago Bears entering an offseason where they finally have to make a decision on one Mitchell Trubisky?
The Lions need to be pragmatic and secure the best deal in a blockbuster trade involving Stafford.