Matthew Stafford is currently in his eleventh season with the Detroit Lions and at 31 years old, he has never been better.
In fact, through the first half of the 2019 season (his eight starts before getting injured), Stafford completed 64.3% of his passes for a league-best 2,499 yards (312.4 yards per game) and 19 touchdowns to go along with five interceptions. His passer rating currently stands at 106.0, which is the best of his career by a wide margin.
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Following a 20-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Lions are now 3-9-1 and they have officially been eliminated from the Playoffs.
Well, as we have seen before, the defense has been abysmal. When it comes to total defense, the Lions rank No. 29 out of 32 teams in the league as they have given up a whopping 394.7 yards per contest. Heck, even the New York Giants have given up fewer yards per game (376.3) than the Lions.
That's right, Lions GM Bob Quinn hired ‘defensive guru' Matt Patricia as head coach hoping that he would make the defense into one of the best in the league. Instead, the defense has been an absolute train-wreck, and Stafford's dominance has been wasted.
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Stafford will turn 32 just after the conclusion of this season and his window for making a run at a Super Bowl will soon begin closing. He has to realize in his heart that hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Detroit is never going to happen and it's time to move on.
Quinn and Patricia have proven they are not the solution in Detroit and assuming they are fired, whether it be after this season or the 2020 season, a new regime would have to start over. That is a process that would take time, something Stafford will not have.
As much as it absolutely pains me to say this, it is time for Matthew Stafford to demand the Detroit Lions trade him during the offseason.
At this point, it would be better to watch him get a shot at glory somewhere else than to continue to watch one of the most talented quarterbacks in NFL history be wasted.
