Before the conference championship games begin on Sunday, there was some big news that broke in that Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is reportedly available for trade. For the Indianapolis Colts, this is a dream scenario.
After the retirement of Philip Rivers has left many wondering what the Colts will do at the quarterback position, it has become clear that there aren’t many viable options to find his replacement. But with Stafford now on the market, the Colts can go all in for a quarterback that will make them strong contenders in the AFC.
Even so, Mark Schofield of Touchdown Wire detailed a few teams who would be the best trade destinations for the 33-year-old. The Colts, unsurprisingly, were among those teams.
Another team that finds themselves back in the quarterback market after spending some time there last off-season is the Indianapolis Colts. With Philip Rivers retiring, the Colts have to address the position yet again. They do have Jacoby Brissett on the roster, in addition to last year’s draft pick in the fourth round Jacob Eason, but Matthew Stafford is a better quarterback at this point than both of those players.
Indianapolis has the cap space to make such a move, and as we saw last season Chris Ballard is willing to make trades (DeForest Buckner) and acquire veteran quarterbacks. Indianapolis also has a slight edge in draft capital over the New England Patriots, as the Patriots lack a third rounder due to the video taping incident from two seasons ago. The Colts also have more weapons on offense than New England, including a more talented wide receiver room.
Edit: As pointed out by an astute reader Brissett is currently a free agent and is not under contract.
With 2020 fourth-round pick Jacob Eason being the only quarterback currently under contract for the Colts, this is a no-brainer. Stafford would thrive under head coach Frank Reich due to his intelligence, arm talent, leadership and pocket mobility.
We already discussed how the Colts should do whatever it takes to land Stafford in a trade. It will likely include draft picks but if all the Lions are asking for is the No. 21 pick and either the No. 54 or a 2022 second-rounder, the Colts should be all over that.
There will certainly be plenty of competition in the Stafford sweepstakes, but the Colts have just as strong of a chance as any to acquire the veteran.
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