Any QB over age 35

This lumps in but is not restricted to: Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers.

The name recognition is very high with the veteran greats hitting the market. Brady and Brees are inarguably among the greatest to ever play, while Rivers has tasted significant success in his 16 seasons too. All three still have something to offer NFL teams.

What they offer is not what the Lions need in 2020, however. And as short-term solutions, they’re creating more of a long-term problem than any one-year benefit could possibly provide Detroit. Signing Brady for one season at a fair market value of $30 million means the Lions will need a QB in 2021, and the exorbitant combination of paying Brady (or Brees) that much and also paying Matthew Stafford $10 million more not to play for the Lions this year than to play — thanks to his recent restructure, that’s the poison pill — the team won’t be able to add any help at any other position.

If you are a believer that quarterback was the biggest problem on the Lions in 2019, even when Stafford was healthy, then chasing after a legend for a swan song makes some sense. Otherwise, it’s completely pointless for both the Lions and the players themselves to pay a past-his-prime QB for a one-year bandaid while also paying Stafford $10 million extra to go away.