NFL rumors: 49ers’ Matthew Stafford trade interest has ’lot of smoke'
Report: 49ers’ Stafford trade interest has ‘a lot of smoke’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The 49ers could put an age-old cliché to the test this offseason.
It has been said wherever there’s smoke, there’s fire. And there reportedly has been a “lot of smoke” between the 49ers and Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The 49ers’ interest in Stafford has been a dominant topic at this week’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., KOA NewsRadio’s Benjamin Albright reported Thursday.
Have a messed up screen on my phone, hence the updates being sparse.
Lot of smoke around Niners and Stafford this week. In Mobile. We’ll see.
Be back and active on here tomorrow. — Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) January 28, 2021
Stafford, 32, and the Lions reportedly are expected to part ways this offseason. Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch publicly backed Jimmy Garoppolo as the starting QB in 2021 following a disappointing, injury-riddled season in 2020, but that was prior to Stafford’s relationship with the Lions reportedly reaching its end.
Last season, Stafford threw for 4,084 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 16 starts for Detroit this season. Stafford also averaged the second-highest yards per attempt of his career (7.7) and posted his fifth-highest passer rating (96.3).
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that about “a third of the league” already has called the Lions about trading for Stafford, so the 49ers surely won’t be the only team interested in the QB.
There still are nearly two months until the start of NFL’s next league year, and not even one week has passed since Stafford reportedly asked to be traded. A lot can happen between now and March 17, so we’ll see if the reported smoke leads to actual fire.
The state of the 49ers’ quarterback depth chart is on the line, and so is the fate of an age-old platitude. There’s a lot riding on Stafford’s future, in other words.
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NFL rumors: 49ers’ Matthew Stafford trade interest has ’lot of smoke’
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The 49ers could put an age-old cliché to the test this offseason.
It has been said wherever there’s smoke, there’s fire. And there reportedly has been a “lot of smoke” between the 49ers and Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The 49ers’ interest in Stafford has been a dominant topic at this week’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., KOA NewsRadio’s Benjamin Albright reported Thursday.
Have a messed up screen on my phone, hence the updates being sparse.
Lot of smoke around Niners and Stafford this week. In Mobile. We’ll see.
Be back and active on here tomorrow. — Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) January 28, 2021
Stafford, 32, and the Lions reportedly are expected to part ways this offseason. Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch publicly backed Jimmy Garoppolo as the starting QB in 2021 following a disappointing, injury-riddled season in 2020, but that was prior to Stafford’s relationship with the Lions reportedly reaching its end.
Last season, Stafford threw for 4,084 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 16 starts for Detroit this season. Stafford also averaged the second-highest yards per attempt of his career (7.7) and posted his fifth-highest passer rating (96.3).
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that about “a third of the league” already has called the Lions about trading for Stafford, so the 49ers surely won’t be the only team interested in the QB.
There still are nearly two months until the start of NFL’s next league year, and not even one week has passed since Stafford reportedly asked to be traded. A lot can happen between now and March 17, so we’ll see if the reported smoke leads to actual fire.
The state of the 49ers’ quarterback depth chart is on the line, and so is the fate of an age-old platitude. There’s a lot riding on Stafford’s future, in other words.
Download and subscribe to the 49ers Talk Podcast
Matthew Stafford reportedly ‘likes Indianapolis better than any other’
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According to 710 ESPN Seattle’s John Clayton on 107.5 The Fan’s ‘The Ride with JMV’, he’s hearing that the Indianapolis Colts may very well be the preferred trade destination of recently made available Detroit Lions franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford:
“Indianapolis. That’s the team from what I gather Matthew Stafford likes,” Clayton said on Wednesday. “He likes it better than any other.” “So, I think he’s kind of in the same mind as Jim Irsay and also he knows Jacob Eason, because they both have some roots in Georgia. Not as far as where Stafford grew up, but I think right now the worry you have is Carolina going to make a big offer? I don’t know if they’ll give up the 8th pick in the draft. Washington has the 19th pick in the first round, and they’re going to be in the bidding. San Francisco is going to be in the bidding.” “I know I said it was going to be Washington because I think they have more clout right now than the Colts, but I think ultimately Stafford has a great chance to come to Indianapolis.”
The former first overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft is fresh off another productive season in which he completed 339 of 528 pass attempts (64.2%) for 4,084 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a passer rating of 96.3 during all 16 starts.
The Lions’ all-time leading franchise passer ranks first in career completions (3,898), first in passing yards (45,109), and first in touchdowns (282) respectively.
He’s made 165 starts for Detroit over his 12-year career.
At 6’3”, 220 pounds, featuring a cannon of an arm and some mobility, Stafford would provide the Colts a dynamic upgrade at the starting quarterback position for the 2021 season and going forward—as the soon-to-be 33 year old figures to have at least a handful of highly productive seasons still left.
With an incredibly live arm, Stafford can make the type of big-time throws that can simply win football games—with the unique ability to fit footballs through tight windows, rifle it past opposing coverage, or execute athletic throws (and from altered platforms) while under pressure or duress.
He consistently wasn’t surrounded with a strong supporting cast in Detroit—as he largely lacked a reliable running game, strong offensive line, and competent defense to back him up respectively.
Stafford should get all three facets upgraded in Indianapolis—while also playing in Colts head coach Frank Reich’s quarterback-friendly offense. He could very well see an uptick in production while playing for a more well-rounded Indianapolis team.
There’s no denying the ideal fit right now between both Stafford and the Colts—and the timing is quite perfect to say the least regarding Indianapolis’ suddenly vacant quarterback opening on a ‘built to win now’, potential Super Bowl contender.
It’s just a matter of whether the Colts can beat out the expected heavy competition among Stafford’s other potential trade suitors—with ultimately the winning offer of draft picks—which the price isn’t projected to be cheap.