Breer: Seven teams are “solidly in” on Matthew Stafford trade discussions
By Alex Barth, 985TheSportsHub.com
It’s starting to sound like the Matthew Stafford trade saga could be a quick one. Just a week after it was reported Stafford and the Lions would be parting ways, there’s already a lists of finalists to land him and a drive to get the deal done.
SI’s Albert Breer went live on Periscope during halftime of Saturday’s Senior Bowl, and opened with an update on the Stafford trade talk. The discussion begins in the clip below at 1:03.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 30, 2021
The most significant update here is that there are seven teams “solidly in it” for Stafford’s services. Breer lists the Patriots, Carolina, Washington Football Team, Colts, Bears, 49ers, and Rams as the current top landing spots for the former first-overall pick. However, he added a “we’ll see” when referring to the two franchises in California, indicating that he believes that’s where Stafford would like to end up, but that those teams won’t have as competitive offers as the other five contenders.
Breer said he believes the Lions will get “a first round pick, maybe a first-round pick plus something else” for the soon-to-be 33 year old. That could help the Patriots, who have the third-highest first round pick (15th overall) among the contending teams, behind the Panthers (8th) and Niners (12th). The four other teams in the conversation all made the playoffs in 2020.
Whatever ends up happening, we’ll likely get an answer sooner rather than later. Breer mentioned that Lions staffers have been talking trade all week, and would like to get a deal done before the Super Bowl. Given the potential salary cap and draft implications for both teams involved, it makes sense that front offices wouldn’t want to drag the negotiations out, and give themselves time to adjust their overall offseason plans.
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Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].