Matthew Stafford trade rumors: Ranking the 4 teams most likely to trade for Lions QB

1. Indianapolis Colts

Although the Indianapolis Colts had a promising young quarterback they acquired from the New England Patriots in Jacoby Brissett, they decided to eschew him for Philip Rivers’ final go-around.

Rivers led the Colts to an 11-win season and a top-10 offense in yards and points, but just as soon as he came in, he left. The decorated quarterback’s retirement seemingly brings Chris Ballard and the Colts back to square one, but that may not be the case with Matthew Stafford available.

Indianapolis can simply send a modest offer to the Detroit Lions for their 32-year-old quarterback, and Stafford could have a few years left of starting-caliber quarterbacking in him. Then, the Colts can turn their focus to equipping Stafford with another weapon, turning their offense into something more closely resembling the Detroit offenses we saw at Stafford’s best.

The Colts are perennial playoff contenders in the AFC, and the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans surely won’t be competitive for at least a couple of more years. That said, the competition is still tight with Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes in the conference, as well as the consistently-good Tennessee Titans in their own division.

Therefore, Indianapolis will want to maintain their status as contenders and potentially even get a little better at quarterback by building continuity over a couple of seasons with Stafford.