The NFC North is shaping up to be pretty menacing for the Detroit Lions next season, with former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson taking the position of head coach with arch rival the Chicago Bears. Now, throw in the idea of an ex-Lions quarterback also popping up with a foe in the NFC North.
It’s seriously like watching your exes all land with people you really don’t like. Now, one NFL analyst and expert thinks former Lions and current Los Angeles Rams signal-caller Matthew Stafford could end up with a longtime rival of the team.
Former Detroit Lions QB Could Head to the Vikings
In a January 19 feature for FanSided, Wynston Wilcox states that Stafford’s trade value is high right now, so it could be a good time for the Los Angeles Rams to trade him to a team in need of a veteran quarterback.
The top landing spot that he names for Stafford is none other than the Minnesota Vikings. Of course, the Vikings already have a lot of quarterbacks on their roster, including Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones and J.J. McCarthy, but that might not stop them from adding Stafford.
In the feature, Wilcox says that even with all the Vikings’ quarterback options, “If they wanted a new face, Stafford could be a great addition.”
“Stafford would upgrade from Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua as the No. 1 option to Justin Jefferson,” Wilcox added. “The Vikings can’t afford to regress with McCarthy or Jones under center.”
Wilcox also makes the point that Stafford could help McCarthy have additional time to get comfortable in the NFL “while keeping the Vikings as playoff contenders until he retires,” because Stafford would probably only play a few seasons.
If the Vikings want to win and grew, Wilcox says that they “need a quarterback like Stafford to do so.”
“Darnold, for as good as he was in the regular season, wasn’t ready for the playoff atmosphere,” he added. That’s true, since Darnold had what was pretty much a meltdown during the playoffs.
“Kevin O’Connell sounds like he wants McCarthy or Jones to be the guy,” Wilcox said. “But if he has a chance to win a championship in the next year or two, it might be worth looking at Stafford as an immediate replacement for Darnold.”
Wilcox also named the Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders as possible landing spots for Stafford.
NFL Analyst Has Wild Idea for Matthew Stafford
FOX Sports’ Nick Wright has also put his opinion out there about where he believes Stafford should end up. During the network’s “First Things First” on Tuesday, January 21, Wright pitched a quarterback trade that would see the Los Angeles Rams trading Stafford to the Miami Dolphins for Tua Tagovailoa. His idea wouldn’t involve any picks or other players, just Stafford and Tagovailoa.
“I have one one-for-one quarterback trade that I would put a phone call in on,” Wright said on the program. “I might call Miami and say Stafford for Tua.”
“If you’re Miami, it would be admitting defeat on Tua and just trying to go for it right now,” he added.
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