Washington Football Team: Exploring every potential quarterback trade target

QB Matthew Stafford, Lions

Of all the quarterbacks on this list, Matthew Stafford is probably one of the most exciting ones for Washington fans.

Stafford represents a veteran option that isn’t too old (32). He represents a productive quarterback that gets the most out of the weapons around him. He represents a good leader with unbelievable toughness.

In short, Stafford checks almost all of the boxes. He has passed for over 4,000 yards in eight of the last nine seasons in which he has played 16 games, and only once in that span has he failed to suit up for every contest. In 2020, he played through numerous injuries to try to help the Detroit Lions win even when the team was out of the playoffs.

Stafford loves football. He can elevate the talent around him and would certainly click well with Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson, and his former teammate Logan Thomas. So long as he’s protected by a quality offensive line, Stafford would have a chance to be a top-12 starting quarterback and lead his team to the postseason.

The major concern with Stafford is his injury history. He has mostly stayed healthy in recent seasons, but he broke his tailbone in 2019. Back injuries tend to linger, and if that wasn’t already enough of a concern, Stafford dealt with four shoulder/collarbone injuries early in his career as well as knee and foot injuries. And last year, he dealt with nagging thumb and rib injuries that forced him out of a couple of the games he started.

That’s a long list of problems for Stafford, so even though he’s younger, he could wear down a bit faster than most quarterbacks his age. It’s not a dealbreaker, but his medical report would have to check out for any team to put together a compelling trade package for him.

Stafford would likely cost at least a couple of draft picks to acquire. It may be a second-round pick and a later-round pick or it could involve a first-round pick. It would all depend on how the QB market shakes out and whether or not the Lions actually want to move on from Stafford with just a year remaining on his contract.

Trading for Stafford would be a calculated risk that he would stay healthy. He certainly checks out as a good option, as his cap hits of $33 million and $26 million are reasonable enough, but this deal wouldn’t be a simple one to pull off, especially if a bidding war for his services emerges. Washington should be interested in Stafford either way, but they’ll have to truly weigh the cost of acquiring him.