How NFL fans reacted to reports that the Lions, Matthew Stafford are parting ways

It looks like the Lions and their longtime QB are breaking up.

It looks like the Detroit Lions and Matthew Stafford are about to break up.

The Lions and their quarterback of 12 years have mutually agreed to part ways during the NFL offseason, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday night.

In Detroit for his entire NFL career so far, Stafford was the Lions’ No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, and he is the best quarterback to play for Detroit, leading the franchise in passing yards, passing touchdowns and passer rating, among other stats. However, the Lions only had three playoff appearances in that time (and lost all three games), and Stafford has also dealt with a variety of injuries.

And, according to reports, he and the team aren’t on the same page anymore, as the organization looks to rebuild under new leadership. As Pelissero wrote for NFL.com:

The sides have had open and healthy discussions since the season ended. But with the Lions starting over again, hiring Dan Campbell as head coach and Brad Holmes as general manager, Stafford told the team he feels it’s the right time to move on and team officials agreed, per sources.

It’s obviously too early to know where Stafford — who has two years and $43 million remaining on his contract — will land, but NFL fans had plenty of suggestions, plus a lot of jokes about Campbell’s bizarre introductory press conference this week scaring off the quarterback.

However, many fans also recognized this is probably the best thing for both Stafford and the organization, and a new team could give the soon-to-be 33-year-old passer a chance at winning something in his career.

https://twitter.com/Boston_Diehards/status/1353119340229500930?s=20

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