Having recently hired former Texans and Lions quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan to the same position, the Panthers have an interesting connection to both of this year’s hot-commodity trade pieces. And the team appears to be considering both passers.
In addition to their Deshaun Watson pursuit, the Panthers are in on the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. They join the Rams and many others, with a previous report indicating as many as 12 teams have discussed Stafford with the new Lions regime, in this group.
Stafford, who will turn 33 next month, would bring appeal due to his lower trade price. But some Panthers staffers believe the former No. 1 overall pick is in decline, Person adds (subscription required). Such stances would make a pursuit interesting, especially given the makeup of Carolina’s roster. While the Lions are expecting a first-round pick in return for Stafford, the Panthers hold the No. 7 overall selection. That would be quite a price to pay for a rebuilding team.
The Panthers would seem to match up better with Watson, who is 25 and signed through the 2025 season. But Stafford would be a clear upgrade over Teddy Bridgewater as well. Two years and $43MM remain on Stafford’s contract, though he could well seek an extension from the team that acquires him.
Ryan coached Stafford over the past two years but was in Houston for Watson’s first two seasons, throwing an interesting variable into the mix. Ryan was on the radar for the Panthers’ OC job last year, but Matt Rhule ended up hiring Joe Brady.
Whoever gets Matt will be disappointed. He’s a fine fantasy QB; gets his stats, but doesn’t get the W’s.
Maybe because it’s a team sport 11 on 11. Last I checked, Stafford didn’t play defense or special teams. Nor did he play OL, RB… You put Rodgers, Brady, Brees, Manning or anyone that caliber on the Lions, the results are same and you’re saying the same about them; great fantasy stats, just can’t get the win.
I agree with you’re concept but MS is not AR, TB12, DB or PM.
Never said he was, but that’s more due to the Detroit Lions organization than Matthew Stafford. Put Stafford on most any other team from 2009 on, I think we have different opinions today.
Couldn’t agree more. How well does anybody think Brady or Rodgers would’ve done with that Detroit team? Come on. Stafford is a stout O-line/ running game away from yearly playoffs.
Who could win with that organization. It starts at the top. Poor coaching year after year and when they got someone like Jim Caldwell they ran him out the door.
Detroit was last in the NFL on defense in 2020. Hard to win if you are always playing from behind.
Peyton Manning couldn’t get the playoff W until his team was good enough to do just that. Things ended pretty well after that.
Stafford is better than any of these ‘casuals’ know.
Explain how Stafford is responsible for the Lions defense setting the NFL record for giving up double digit leads in the most consecutive games. The fact the Lions came from behind to win some of those games is because of Stafford.
Explain how he has gone through 3-4 HC’s and GM’s (in 12 years) but still can’t win. At some point he has to be held accountable right?
That’s a Lions organization thing, not a Stafford thing. Year in year out, bad drafts. Stafford is not making those picks, nor does he have input. 60 + years of crap is on the organization, not Stafford. He hung as long as he could. This is the same organization that forced Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson into retirement in theirs primes.
And Stafford’s next team will also be blamed for their ineptitude. No different than we’re always told how much of a mastermind Kyle Shanahan (9’rs HC) is yet he is 1-3 in season’s records and his hand picked QB (Jimmy G) just might not be as good as Kyle said he would be. So this offseason Kyle will finally ‘get his QB…’
Matt is good for fantasy stats not meaningful stats.
Facts
You do realize Stafford doesn’t hire the GM and head coach, right? It’s like holding Sam Darnold accountable because the Jets hired Adam Gace. Dare I say, Stafford has had a good career despite the Lions not because of them.
If you think Sam D is good then you may not be an arm chair QB. That dude is pure BU material. He was drafted #3 because he was a big, strong armed QB; that’s it. Like Bortles and many more before him. Who was that Ravens 1st round QB that threw the ball 50 yards from his knees and did nothing professional Kyle Boller(?)
The point eludes you.
Your point is Matt is awesome and only held back by the team. His career is meaningless because he played & gladly signed playing more years for a bad team. Yeah, the point eludes me.
Matt will never be a winning QB. His record says so.
I’m not even a Lions fan, but I’m not sure how you’re suppose to get W’s when ownership and front office is/was a bunch of morons. When’s the last time they had a decent running back since Stafford was drafted? Old Reggie was the last one to run for 1000 yards. Stafford and Calvin Johnson are the only ones worth mentioning on their offense since they both came into the league. Pettigrew, Tate, Ebron, and Jones had a few ok seasons but not worth mentioning.
So if the front office is a bunch of morons, why re-up? If you dislike your team, why sign a new contract? Matt could have easily fought his way out well before 32, but choose to stay in Detroit. So all of their problems during his time in Detroit is their fault? Please. That’s an ignorant stance. You’re saying Matt has zero responsibility for a being a starting QB for 12 years?
Isn’t that more a criticism of Stafford’s decision making rather than his quarterbacking skills?
If you can’t tell Detroit is a poorly run team, then maybe you’re not that bright. Sure ‘big armed, tall QB’ is on his resume but not W’s. He was drafted in 2009 and now learning the organization is bad??? Again, he choose to stay there for a dozen years.
You must be bad at fantasy football cuz Stafford sucks in fantasy.
Put him on the Niners next year and they win the NFC. A top defense and a power run game is all he needs to show you. He never had that in Detroit.
He stays in Detroit cuz he has ZERO pressure on him from the team and the media to win and he’s making millions.
Arty! your getting tore up in this comment section because your points are bad, what else you got?
Dude stop making yourself sound dumb.
I’m a fantasy football dork…he’s not even that good in Fantasy anymore lol…but as a UGA fan I hope he has a few good more years
Lions hold 7th pick, panthers 8th
Captain obvious.
Their last article had it mixed up.
Normally it wouldn’t make much sense for a rebuilding team to pursue a veteran QB like Matt but the Panthers just need someone who isn’t injury prone to get the ball to Big Mac on a regular basis. Stafford can handle that.
Unfortunately, Stafford is injury prone.
If Detroit did get the 8th pick from Carolina I think the 7th and the 8th picks might get them well into the Watson sweepstakes.
From what I’ve read it sounds like something could be done by this weekend or at the very latest by the end of this next week.
Yuck and double-yuck.
Question for the masses
If you put Stafford on ANY team….pick one…are they super bowl contenders?
I say no. That’s not to say he’s not an improvement for about 10 teams out there, but I don’t see him ever winning a super bowl unless his team just catches fire and other teams get unfortunate injuries to their stars….which obviously can happen.
If you put him on the Steelers, Patriots, 49ers, Colts, Rams, or Bears they’re instantly Super Bowl contenders. They all had vastly inferior QBs to Stafford last year, and have enough talent in other areas that he could put them over the top.
To be fair- Stafford has padded his stats in garbage time being on a bad team. It doesn’t and shouldn’t be confused with him being a good QB….but the stats are padded
Give me a break. The fact that he has been surrounded by a bad team has killed his production.
are they rebuilding or not?
Wow!!!!!
Rams trade goff 2 future 1sts a 3rd for stafford!!!! Holy cow
thats pretty dang good trade for the Lions sheesh!!!
I was thinking the same!!!! I think the fact of how bad goffs deal was they had to up the amount of 1sts. This is not good for teams trying to trade for watson
Great for the Rams, too. Been saying all season that Goff needed to go. Stafford should do well with the Rams
The Rams paid for a combo of Stafford and getting rid of the Goff contract.
Great take
Rams got MASSIVELY fleeced! Great trade for Detroit.
Trade hasen’t even been posted on site yet.
Rams gave up Lots, but I believe In Stafford.
No first round picks for the Rams for 7 years straight. Damn.
Man, this site has been slow with trades and stuff lately.
Yeah. This news probably won’t be announced on here until tomorrow night.
I know it’s sad when fans comment about it first lol.
He’s off to the Rams
Ramsey and Stafford,we don’t need any stinking picks!
What’s Hou gonna get for Watson?
As usual, the Rams drive the trade price for another team to the heavens by giving up all their first round picks.
This deal with the Rams seems like a steal for the Lions.
How is this trade not on here yet …. sheesh
Just what I was thinking! This site has gone from trade rumors to yesterday’s trades.
He and Kershaw back together again
Nice observation
This aged poorly. Detroit is the BIG winner in the Goff / Stafford trade if what is being reported is true. Detroit gets Goff, a 2021 3rd Round Pick, 2022 1st Round Pick & 2023 First Round pick. Holy cow!!! Detroit can dump Goff after next year without too much of a cap hit too. So Detroit can draft it’s QB of the future this year if they want to and now have the draft capital to move up and get the #2 QB prospect should they choose to do so. Well done, Lions!!!
Lions scored big on this one. And Goff may excel with a change of scenery.
Lions did great and Rams are in win now mode and got their guy and I see that working out well.
I highly doubt Goff will excel with the Lions. It may be true that a change of scenery could benefit him, but that scenery is not based in Detroit with that organization.
Was quarterback really Carolina’s greatest weakness last year? Bridgewater is clearly middle of the pack, but I don’t think Carolina is just a quarterback away from competing for a championship.
You guys need to hire some people that report big stuff right away. I would be axing now. MLB seems much faster.
Yeah, MLBTR does a great job of getting the story out, then providing more details as the story develops. Idk how Pro Football Rumors does it.
Maybe it has been raining and, like Newman, they don’t work when it’s raining. “Neither rain, nor sleet, nor…it’s the first one!”
I can’t believe that trade isn’t on here yet, Radio.com reported it before Trade Rumors WTF
Whoever is running NFL rumors needs to go. Always asleep at the wheel with big news. Not good away to gain traffic to your site.
Yeah, time to fire whomever’s shift it is to cover NFL news tonight. This might be the biggest trade of the upcoming season, yet not a peep of NFLTR…embarrassing!
If it was Mahomes or Brady beening Traded.
Breaking News…
Chiefs to play Brady and the Bucs in Superbowl
Surprised it cost the Rams multiple 1st rounders and Goff.
I consider it more about costing the Rams picks in order for the Lions to take on Goff and his awful contract. It’s not like Goff is a good QB, either. He is more of a liability than an asset.
Just what Jared Goff needed, a trade where he plays outdoors in GB and Chicago annually.
At least he will have that sweet Lions offense around him and that awesome Lions defense to protect any lead they get…
Crazy
WOULD YOU BELIEVE,
GOFF ?
I like this trade for Detroit. I’ll probably be alone on this, and I know his stats are poor, but I continue to think that Goff has an arm. A bit like Trubisky where the results are always a little less than they should be.
But it wouldn’t shock me to see Goff return to being a middle of the pack QB.
Why are comments closed on the other stafford posts? What am I missing?