Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn hasn’t begun any trade discussions for the No. 3 pick, but he’s open to the idea of making a deal.
When the 2019 regular season ended with the Detroit Lions record of 3-12-1, the silver lining was obtaining a top-three pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to address some of the team’s needs. Not only do the Lions hold the power to draft a player to make an immediate impact, but they are keeping an open mind and also could trade down to generate more value for that pick.
Recently, Lions general manager, Bob Quinn sat down with Lions multi-media reporter Tori Petry, he talked about the possibility of trading the pick. “Yeah, open to any trades,” Quinn said. “The higher up in the draft you are, the sooner those conversations usually begin.”
“I have not had any trade conversations with anybody as of yet,” Quinn continued. “Those usually tend to start in the Combine.”
With teams and players arriving at the 2020 NFL Combine today — on-field workouts begin February 27th — you can expect the rumor mill to start swirling in full force surrounding any potential moves the Lions will make at any time.
At the 2:50 mark, you can hear directly from Quinn himself discussing his stance on trading the teams pick and moving back in the 2020 NFL Draft.
General manager Bob Quinn spoke about his draft process and said the team will be keeping an open mind on all position groups.
General manager Bob Quinn recently sat down with Detroit Lions multi-media reporter Tori Petry and discussed several topics ranging from the Stafford trade rumors to recent coaching hires.
With the 2020 NFL Combine about to kick-off, it will be a good time for Quinn and his staff to get a better feel for potential prospects. With a bevy of options with another Top-10 selection this year, Quinn is keeping an approachable outlook on all position groups.
“We’re not ruling out anything right now,” Quinn said. “I think we’re still in the evaluation mode. Which we’re probably a bit ahead of the game, from going to the Senior Bowl and having that experience with those guys down there. Way too early to narrow it down to one position or one player. I think we’re going to the Combine with an open mind.”
The Lions had the opportunity to coach the North team at this year’s Senior Bowl and got a leg up on their evaluation process with all the participating senior players. For all intents and purposes, the Lions took full advantage, allowing them the chance to spend more time with the record setting 115 underclassmen player class this year. Especially the likes of underclassmen Chase Young, Jeffery Okduah, and Derrick Brown, who all have been heavily linked to the Lions.
“All the underclassmen are brand new to us,” Quinn continued. “And obviously, there’s a lot of them this year that are going to be at the Combine. It’s really going to be our first exposure to them in an interview setting. So, a lot of things can change.”
With the Combine interview process changing this year, cutting the number of prospect interviews from 60 to 45 but increasing the time from 15 to 18 minutes, teams will be selective on whom they interview this year. With the Lions already, getting a first-hand look at the seniors, expect the majority of their interviews to be with the underclassmen through various position groups.
With all the recent quarterback speculation, I am sure people will read too much into this and take it out of context, thinking the Lions will be looking at quarterbacks to replace Stafford. The Lions are doing their due diligence like any good team should this time of year, especially with how high of a draft selection they have. The Lions are scouting not just for a draft process, but looking to gain an edge if they end up playing against the players next season.
Quinn will be bringing his entire staff down for the Combine, allowing for maximum coverage and availability to look at every prospect possible making sure they don’t shut the door on any potential prospects. It would be ill-advised for the Lions to exclude any positions at this time, especially since free agency has not begun and anything could change from now to draft day.
In an interview with Detroit Lions reporter Tori Petry, general manager Bob Quinn, once again, confirms Matthew Stafford trade rumors are 100% false.
Ahead of the upcoming NFL Combine, Detroit Lions general manager, Bob Quinn sat down with the Lions in-house multi-media reporter Tori Petry and among other topics, discussed the trade rumors surrounding the organization’s franchise quarterback, Matthew Stafford.
Somehow, somewhere, someone speculated that the Lions were looking at trading away the best quarterback that has ever donned the Honolulu Blue and Silver, adding fuel to the fire in Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft with the Lions taking Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Quinn has denied the rumors from the onset, and during his interview with Petry, he seemed to have put his final stamp on those rumors saying, “He’s here. He’s our quarterback. And all those rumors, not sure exactly where they came from, but like I said before, they’re 100% false.”
At the 1:36 mark of the video you can watch Quinn deny– for hopefully, the last time– the Stafford trade rumors.
The Detroit Lions are reportedly releasing defensive tackle Damon Harrison and while the move will create a significant hole on the current roster, it will also create quite a bit of space in the 2020 salary cap.
The Detroit Lions are reportedly releasing defensive tackle Damon Harrison and while the move will create a significant hole on the current roster, it will also create quite a bit of space in the 2020 salary cap.
After a sensational 2018 season with the Lions, Harrison regressed in 2019 and it appears the Lions felt he would not be able to return to his previous level of play and therefore no longer justified his current salary — after receiving a deserved contract extension just last August.
Harrison’s 2020 contract had him scheduled to receive over $11.7 million this season. After making this move (eventually), the Lions will incur a penalty to the tune of a $5 million salary cap hit, while also freeing up an additional $6.75 million in new salary cap space.
After this move, the Lions salary cap space will increase to just over $53.8 million, bumping them up to the 11th most available salary cap room in the NFL.
This is a critical offseason for the Lions front office and coaching staff, expectations are high and only results matter. The results weren’t there for Harrison in 2019 and the Lions have decided to invest in other options.
This is a deep free agency pool at defensive tackle and the draft class is equally flush with options. Finding which player to invest in for this very important role will likely be one of, if not the, highest priority of the offseason.
Detroit Lions Breakdown podcast, episode 141: “Addressing trade rumors”, is now available to download and listen.
This week on the Detroit Lions Breakdown podcast the guys dive headfirst into all the trade rumors surrounding the team. Once they get their head above water, the guys address which ones to believe and which ones you should dismiss.
Listener’s questions tie into the trade talk but aren’t limited to just that. Other topics discussed are coaching staff openings, prospects in the upcoming draft, potential free agency moves, and potential roster construction during the offseason.
The DLB podcast is a weekly conversation with Lions Wire’s own Erik Schlitt and his co-host Joe Kania.
Be sure to follow the Detroit Lions Breakdown Podcast (@LionsBreakdown) and it’s hosts Schlitt (@Erikschlitt) and Kania (@JoeKania_DLB) on Twitter, with a Facebook page on the way.
The podcast is available to listen at the DetroitLionsBreakdown.com website and is also available to download and subscribe to on multiple podcast platforms, including Itunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, among others.
Trading away the starting quarterback and simultaneously setting almost $11 million on fire is not how the Lions will win in 2020.
There is no truth to the unsubstantiated rumors from near or afar that the Detroit Lions are attempting to trade franchise QB Matthew Stafford. But don’t just take my word for it…
Listen to the words from Lions GM Bob Quinn, the man who would be making such a decision.
“100% False!!” Quinn texted to the Detroit Free Press in response to the rumors, via Dave Birkett.
Quinn’s defiant refutation of rumors that have originated in Miami and recently popped up on a Detroit TV outlet. Aside from Quinn’s rejection of the speculation, the financial implications of trading Stafford make any deal almost impossible.
With his recent contract restructuring, it would cost the Lions $10.7 million more to trade or release Stafford than to have him play for Detroit in 2020. Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia are under a mandate from ownership to become a playoff contender in the upcoming season or else they’ll be fired.
Trading away the starting quarterback and simultaneously setting almost $11 million on fire is not how the Lions will win in 2020.
With the postseason scenarios all determined, Touchdown Wire unveils its final NFL Power Rankings of the 2019 regular season.
As the 2019 NFL regular season came to an end Sunday, I thought back to the start of the season and realized that things turned out very differently than I expected.
I also write for Street & Smith’s magazines, and I pulled out a copy of their season preview and reviewed my predictions and the magazine’s collective predictions. Let’s just say I was off by a mile in some cases, and the magazine was right on some and very wrong on others.
For the sake of humility, let’s start with my Super Bowl pick. I had the Rams defeating the Chargers. In reality, neither team made the playoffs. The overall magazine staff picked the Saints to defeat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. That prediction remains in play.
Perhaps my worst pick was selecting Baltimore to finish last in the AFC North. Here’s where the Ravens and the other 31 teams stand in Touchdown Wire’s final regular season Power Rankings.
32. Cincinnati Bengals
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
(2-14. Last week: 32)
The Bengals were predictably bad with a new coach, Zac Taylor, and a roster that doesn’t have much talent. There were no miracles in Cincinnati as the Bengals just kept losing. Does Taylor even get a second season? Probably so. Owner Mike Brown stuck with coach Marvin Lewis through some rough times. Taylor likely will get a bit more time to try to turn things around. The only good news out of this season is that the Bengals will get the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft. At the moment, virtually everyone is projecting that to be LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, the Heisman Trophy winner. Scouts and draftniks say he’s NFL ready. That means he’ll help the Bengals right from the start. But this team needs much more than a change at quarterback to turn things around.
31. Washington Redskins
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
(3-13. Last week: 31)
There are big changes coming in Washington after a hugely disappointing season. Coach Jay Gruden was fired during the season. Team president Bruce Allen reportedly will be stripped of his football operations duties, although he may remain with the team, with his main role being to help the Redskins get a new stadium. That would be a good move. Despite being the son of legendary coach George Allen, Bruce Allen is not a football guy. In his 10 years in Washington, the Redskins won zero playoff games. They need a football guy at the top, and they need a new coach. Owner Dan Snyder is likely to make a splash hire for the coaching job because he needs to revive a frustrated fan base. The only bright spot to this season was rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins. He still has a long way to go, but he showed promise at times.
30. Detroit Lions
Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
(3-12-1. Last week: 30)
Coach Matt Patricia has had two dismal seasons. But his job is safe. The team already has announced that Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn will return next season. Ownership likely gave Patricia a pass because he was without injured quarterback Matthew Stafford for much of the season. Stafford should be back and healthy next year. But Quinn and Patricia need to bring in more talent on both sides of the ball in the offseason. Owner Martha Ford isn’t going to remain patient forever. Patricia needs to win in 2020 or else he’ll be gone.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars
Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
(6-10. Last week: 29)
One of the more disappointing teams in the league, the Jaguars were supposed to bounce back from a rough 2018 season and get back to the form they showed in the 2017 season, when they made it to the AFC Championship Game. Much of the hype came because they signed free-agent quarterback Nick Foles. But Foles got hurt in the season opener, and the Jaguars turned to sixth-round rookie Gardner Minshew, who played surprisingly well. Now, the dilemma for next year is whether to start Foles or Minshew. The competition between those two in the preseason probably will be one of the most interesting storylines in the league in the summer. It remains to be seen if coach Doug Marrone will be back after two disappointing seasons. The Jaguars already fired executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin and may decide to have a thorough housecleaning.
28. New York Giants
Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
(4-12. Last week: 27)
The Giants have been patient with coaches for most of their history. But that changed when Ben McAdoo was fired after two seasons. Pat Shurmur could follow the same track after two disappointing seasons. But his saving grace could be that he’s got the nucleus of a good young offense in place. Second-year running back Saquon Barkley is one of the best all-around players in the league, and rookie quarterback Daniel Jones showed promise. But it’s up to the front office to improve the offensive line and defense. If Shurmur survives, he likely will make some changes to his coaching staff.
27. Miami Dolphins
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
(5-11. Last week: 28)
Although Miami stunned New England with a victory Sunday, this was not a great year for the Dolphins. Early in the season, there was speculation that the Dolphins were losing on purpose to get the No. 1 overall draft pick. There was even talk of an 0-16 season, which seemed quite possible after an 0-7 start. For whatever reason, Miami stayed with veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick for most of the season instead of going with second-year pro Josh Rosen, who was a first-round pick by Arizona last year. The Dolphins gave Rosen only a brief look, so it’s obvious he’s not their future. Miami still will have the No. 5 overall draft pick. Will the Dolphins’ quarterback of the future be available at that spot?
26. Carolina Panthers
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
(5-11. Last week: 26)
There will be major changes in Carolina this offseason after a disappointing season that ended with an embarrassing loss to New Orleans on Sunday. There will be a coaching change. Ron Rivera was fired during the season and replaced by interim coach Perry Fewell. It’s safe to say Fewell won’t get the permanent job. Owner David Tepper seems poised to hire a big name as he continues to distance the current team from its past. The more intriguing storyline is at quarterback. Cam Newton missed all but two games with a foot injury and was also coming off major shoulder surgery. He may no longer be the long-term answer. Plus, Newton’s contract makes him vulnerable. He’s scheduled to make $21 million next season, but the Panthers could clear $19 million in cap space by trading or cutting Newton.
25. Los Angeles Chargers
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
(5-11. Last week: 25)
Another of the league’s most disappointing teams, the Chargers are likely to have some major changes in the offseason. Head coach Anthony Lynn might be pressured into making changes to his coaching staff. But the bigger change could come at quarterback. Philip Rivers’ contract is up and he doesn’t appear to have much left. The Chargers still have plenty of talent, so don’t expect them to blow up the roster. Drafting a quarterback would set the franchise back. The Chargers might be better off bringing in a free agent such as Teddy Bridgewater. Someone like Bridgewater could fix this team in a hurry.
