Washington Football Team: Three trades to upgrade QB position for 2021

This will be the unlikeliest of all the options, but it is still an option that Washington must consider.

A true gunslinger, Matthew Stafford would be the best option out of all of these three for both the short and long-term futures of the Washington Football Team.

At age 32, Matthew Stafford has improved every year on the field. With his QBR above 65.3 for five out of the last six seasons and a passer rating that has never dipped below 89.9 in that same timeframe, Stafford would be the perfect fit in the nation’s capital.

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His leadership ability and veteran presence rival one of Matt Ryan, someone who has been a gladiator fighting through injuries and rough patches throughout a franchise.

The addition of Stafford is the best option out of the three mentioned. This move gives you a quarterback of the future, for at least the next six to seven seasons. Stafford is an underrated athlete, someone who has a cannon of an arm and can throw accurate balls at all three levels of the passing game.

One of the best quarterbacks in the clutch, Stafford has had 31 4th quarter comebacks in his career and nearly 40 game-winning drives.

Stafford someone who can truly transcend the talent around him. The former Georgia Bulldog can help elevate the questionable wide-receiver talent opposite of Terry McLaurin while simultaneously elevating Terry as well.

Playing in all 16 games since 2011, 2019 was the first season where Matthew Stafford missed significant time since his second season in 2010. In 2020, Stafford has played well for a horrendous Lions team. That’s been the story of his career post-Calvin Johnson.

Stafford has had to make do with what has been given, with new coaches and front office members coming to Detroit, the writing seems to be on the wall for No. 9.

A very team-friendly contract that has Stanford under contract until 2023. The Lions can either cut or trade Stafford with minimal dead cap hits.

The fit in Washington is beautiful. It makes a ton of sense, someone who’s been a great leader, who’s younger than Matt Ryan, who has the best arm out of the three and is arguably the best athlete out of the three. He is young enough to be looked upon as a franchise guy for several seasons but savvy and polished enough to be that solidified veteran presence under center.

A trade that makes sense for both sides looks like this:

What’s alarming to many is the fact that a first-round pick is moved here, but in reality, it will be well worth it.

With Washington winning the division and heading to the playoffs, they’ll be picking in the late teens or, if they can beat the Buccaneers, early 20s. With quarterback being an obvious need, if the board doesn’t fall in their favor there’s no reason to reach and take someone at a non-position of need.

Acquiring an established franchise quarterback who can transcend your offense is well worth a first-round pick. That’s what Matthew Stafford is.

Not only that, but with four picks that are likely to fall within the top 75 this season, Washington is in a position where they can move off a couple to get a big-time talent for their team.

With the addition of Matthew Stafford, the Washington offense is for real and much improved just from that. Taking into consideration the near-$60 million in cap space this organization should have, they can surround their star under center with the proper talent necessary.

For Detroit, they move on from their franchise centerpiece and begin a new era. With another first-round pick that they can use to move up in the draft, or they have that option or they can select two high-value prospects within the top 20 of this draft class.

Either way, the Washington Football Team would be best suited with Matthew Stafford under center for 2021 and beyond.