I don’t know if Stafford is worth #2, but that isn’t the only first round pick the Jags have either…
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I think the cap situation makes him extremely hard to move this year, but it’s still fun to talk about. I think he’ll be here next season. After that - highly unpredictable.
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Flacco played well that year, that’s what got him the big contract that he never lived up to.
But Baltimore did have a good defense with Ngata/Suggs/Ray Lewis/Ed Reed, Running game with Ray Rice and wide receivers Boldin/T Smith
Exactly. No team with a pick that high, that’s by definition terrible, is going to trade the second overall pick for a 30-something QB heading into his last contract. Especially one that’s already proven that, while he’s good, he’s not the kind of player that can put a bad team on his back and win playoff games.
The trade opportunities for Stafford will be playoff-caliber teams or close to it, in win-now mode, who either have an injury or feel they need one more piece to contend. (Think like Dallas this year before they fell in a hole, or New Orleans or San Francisco.) Any rebuilding team, including ours, would much rather use a top draft pick on a rookie QB. Financially, it just doesn’t make sense to do anything else.
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hold up. are you saying that no-one gives Stafford hell here, if so your out of your damn mind !
Stafford’s job is to deliver the football to the other offensive players and unless there is a turn over or INT WHEN Stafford gets rid of the football IT IS ON OTHER PLAYERS on the ‘team’…to make plays and be productive. but you see our RB’s are made of glass and always injured, Our receivers have lead the league in dropped footballs multiple seasons , the defensive players are slow and look lost out there and push opponents instead of trying to wrap them up and haul them down ‘half the time’ , The Lions are always “lead” by buffon HC’s , GM’s, DC’s , that do nothing but get fired for their BS jobs. and INTERM HC Bevell makes number 28 Head Coach for this franchise, The O-line plays good at times, but it always gets Stafford beat to a pulp to…but yeah on this Team? It’s only Stafford that is to blame as to WHY we are not seeing Playoffs or better—right.? everybody HERE knows Stafford has his flaws and is not perfect, but don’t act like everything else is set except for that Stafford guy that always costs us playoff runs and SB appearances .
Completely agree. I almost think Matt would retire before going to another craphole too.
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Jay Cutler was also 26 and was coming off a Pro Bowl season. There was still some potential he would get much better at the time. The Bears were really desperate to get a QB and vastly overpaid for him.
The Jags aren’t desperate because they have Justin Fields in the draft.
I think the bigger point is that a QB-needy team that already has a high pick isn’t going for a veteran with a veteran’s salary.
ABsolutely. But if Flacco didn’t play like he did in the playoffs, the Ravens don’t win it all.
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I think a team like Washington might give him a shot.
Smith has a 10.8 million dead cap hit. I am not sure if they believe in Smith. The Football Team is in a very bad division and might take a shot at getting someone new at QB if it doesn’t cost too much in draft capital.
I don’t think Stafford is going anywhere though. The Lions don’t have a high enough draft pick to take a guy who is going to be able to come in and start right away. No new head coach is going to want to come in and start Chase Daniels. The FA options are guys like Trubisky and Winston. I guess if they pick a QB with their #1 pick, they can groom him for half a year and get one of those guys or someone like Fitzpatrick to come in and play. But what would be the point? Might as well keep Stafford and once the team is out of playoff contention, get the guy you drafted in there.
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And if he didn’t have the defense and the running game that he had, they wouldn’t have won either.
Chicken or the egg??
No one is arguing that he didn’t have a top defense. There are a lot of things that go into winning a SB. The Lions don’t have any of them at the moment.
I think it depends. I’m reading the tea leaves here, but bear with me and come down the road I’m laying out.
Factor 1 - The looming possibility of a salary cap decrease.
Factor 2 - A lot of teams that aren’t going to be able to sign their own free agents, let alone go shopping. In fact, many teams may have to make additional, deep cuts, to get their cap right. I think it’s going to be a buyer’s market with a lot of high profile players taking one year deals below market value.
Factor 3 - This provides the few teams with cap room the possibility of putting together a one year dream team, a worst to first recipe. Jacksonville is one of those teams.
Factor 4 - There’s a dearth of competent, veteran QB’s that aren’t ancient, available. How old is Fitzpatrick, Rivers? Do you trust Goff if you were to trade for him? Can anyone afford Prescott, and would you make that investment after that injury? Stafford suddenly starts looking a lot more attractive.
There are a select, few, teams that have positioned themselves financially to take advantage of market conditions. Those teams have a legitimate shot at going whole hog and going for a Super Bowl next year. For those teams, the future is now. There’s only one Matt Stafford, and he may well be worth more than people believe.
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Just because that’s how you’re taking it doesn’t mean that’s what they are arguing. 
In an extreme example, like Dilfer, the D and ball control was so good they could win despite his averageness.
In a mid-level case, like Eli Manning, a slightly above average QB can win a title …amazing D, Bradshaw, Jacobs, WRs all over the place.
Now, let’s take away Bradshaw…and Jacobs. Let’s say the wRs started leading the league in drops.
Let’s say the D was non-existent.
That is the best I can do in trying to exemplify this.
IMO, Flacco’s WRs were amazing, and made him look better than he was, in conjunction with that run game that was both badass in short yardage, as well as making you pay big, if you don’t key on Turner.
…all backed up by a real NFL caliber professional defense.
Apples-to-Anthills. Mat has never had any of that. Eli would fail.
Dilfer wold fail.
Flacco would fail.
Brady would fail.
While I think Rodgers and Mahommes would likely be able to do more because of their mobility, they would not enjoy the same success they have.
IMO, the only way Matt could have done better in his situation is to be more mobile. Big difference between completing passes when you are running for your life, and when you are not.
Lions have one of the worst defenses this year and despite having Swift, still have one of the worst running games in the league.
It’s easier to throw the ball if you have 8 in the box and it’s easier to score when you have a defense winning the field position game or creating turnovers.
Stafford hasn’t played great this year, but he’s not the problem with this team.
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enjoyed reading this.
Appreciated the effort.
Definitely some things in there that I wasn’t considering.
SO many variables. Completely impossible to predict
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Sassy. Clearly not. Stafford is Joe Flacco.
You are always so quick to just decide all these other guys would suck here in Detroit. You don’t know that. It is just a biased decision.
And then posters always fall back on the “Stafford would have won multiple SBs with this franchise…”
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Facts. Smh.
Jacksonville long history of winning it’s almost cruel.
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