After Saturday’s big news that the Detroit Lions had decided to move on from Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn, one thing we know is that the team will have a new head coach and general manager for the 2021 season.
But could the Lions also have a new quarterback for the first time since 2009?
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That, of course, is the year the Lions selected Matthew Stafford with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.
With a new GM and head coach soon coming to town, Peter King of NBC’s Football Morning in America, suggest the Lions could consider
Nothing should be off the table for the moribund Lions, including divorcing Matthew Stafford. I’m not positive it should happen, but it’s crazy to say to new coach/GM candidates: You’ve got to keep Stafford. Stafford has a $10-million roster bonus due on the fifth day of the 2021 league year. His 2021 cap number is $34.95 million, which is 20 percent of the projected $175-milion NFL salary cap in 2021. By cutting or trading Stafford, Detroit would incur in 2021 a dead cap hit of $24.85 million, which obviously must be considered. This must also be considered:
- The Lions have not won a division title in Stafford’s 12 seasons.
- The Lions have not won a playoff game—nor hosted one—in Stafford’s 12 seasons.
- The Lions appear headed for their third straight fourth-place finish in the NFC North, and their seventh straight year outside of the NFL’s top-10 yardage teams.
The simple fact is that sometimes in football, a franchise needs to be blown up. The Patriots did it in 2000, and Drew Bledsoe, the highest-paid player in football at the time, was gone a little more than a year later. The Ravens did it in 2007, a year after going 13-3 with the stable Brian Billick. Carolina did it in the past year, dumping Ron Rivera and Cam Newton in a matter of months. Those are anecdotal stories. But they are also proof that if something just feels wrong, why continue to try to make it work? Break free. Start over. At least look at the possibilities.
The Lions have not won a playoff game in 29 years. That point shouldn’t have much to do with a decision on Stafford. But on a team with holes as deep as the one Detroit has dug, nothing should be off the table.
Nation, when it comes down to it, do you think the Lions will hold on to Stafford or is a divorce on the horizon?
