The Detroit Lions appear to be in the initial stages of what promises to be a long-term rebuild. Whether franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford wants to be a part of that rebuild remains to be seen.
Detroit just recently fired head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn. It’s the clearest indication yet that the team is going to reset things once another disastrous season comes to a conclusion.
As for the 32-year-old Matthew Stafford, he seems non-committal at this point.
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Matthew Stafford seems to suggest he will move on from the Detroit Lions
That’s the furthest thing from being all in at this point. It makes sense given the Lions’ current trajectory and Stafford being in the latter years of his prime.
Despite Detroit’s ugly 4-7 start to the season, Matthew Stafford is still playing at a relatively high clip. The former No. 1 pick is completing 63.2% of his passes for 2,876 yards with 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 11 starts. This, despite the fact that he’s currently hobbled by a hand injury.
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Detroit Lions next head coach could shape a Matthew Stafford decision
At this point, it stands to reason that Stafford will play this thing out without getting into too much detail publicly. We saw a spat between Stafford and the Lions this past offseason. That included the quarterback’s wife calling his team out publicly.
More than this, Detroit’s decision-making process when it comes to a new head coach will play a role in what Stafford decides to do. Is the team heading for a full-scale rebuild or does it plan to reinvent itself on the fly? That’s a big question right now.
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Matthew Stafford contract
There’s also another rather interesting backdrop to all of this. Stafford is currently playing under a five-year, $135 million contract he signed back in 2017.
If the Lions are hellbent on going into rebuild mode, there’s absolutely no reason for them to pay Stafford that type of cash moving forward. In fact, his cap hits over the next two seasons are eye-opening.
- 2021: $34.95 million
- 2022: $27.95 million
Could this lead to a mutual parting of the ways? That’s more than possible.