Matthew Stafford trade could shake up 2020 NFL Draft

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford could be on the trading block. If he’s moved it could shake up the 2020 NFL Draft.

If the Detroit Lions were to trade starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, it could have a colossal impact on the 2020 NFL Draft and the quarterback market in general this offseason.

According to WDIV-TV in Detroit, the Lions are in ongoing trade talks revolving Stafford, which of course general manager Bob Quinn has already denied.

There are plenty of arguments to be made on whether or not trading Stafford makes any sense for the Lions at all.

First and always most important — money is an issue here. The Lions would be eating over $32 million in dead cap with no savings by trading Stafford. The return for Stafford would have to be tremendous to compensate for his loss, especially considering he was playing really well prior to injury last season.

The Lions have struggled to compete in recent years, and Matt Patricia and his staff are coaching for their lives in Detroit this year. Trading Stafford makes little sense from that perspective.

The only way that a trade would really make sense is if the Lions were motivated to make it happen and Stafford agreed to some sort of renewed contract before helping facilitate the trade in that way.

The Lions can’t seriously consider taking a $32 million dead cap hit for a guy who will be playing for another team. That is, unless someone makes them an offer they can’t refuse.

But if the Lions were to trade Stafford despite the fact that it makes no financial or football sense right now, undoubtedly for at least a first-round draft choice or two, it would be fascinating to see what kind of ripple effect it could and would have on the 2020 NFL Draft.

If Stafford were traded, it would make the Lions the leading candidates to select Tua Tagovailoa, who undoubtedly would look good in Honolulu blue.

Say Stafford were traded to the Chargers or Buccaneers, it would give the Lions two very high choices in the first round and would take one of those two teams out of the running for a player like Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, or Jacob Eason in the first round.

Or what if a team like the Las Vegas Raiders offered their two first-round picks this year for Stafford?

The Lions could then take Tua Tagovailoa and have another pair of top 20 selections to work with to keep building their roster.

The problem is, this team and its ownership do not currently support a rebuild. They want to win now, but the Lions would be given a violent shove into rebuild mode if they traded Stafford for a bunch of picks.

It’s fun to think about the idea of a player the caliber of Matthew Stafford changing teams and possibly getting a chance to shine with another team, but it’s probably not likely to happen.