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We’ve all moved on with our lives since the Matthew Stafford trade became official last month, but MMQB’s Albert Breer dropped a small bit of news regarding that move. It’s a quiet start to the week sooooo... let’s revisit it one more time.
Breer provided details on the offer the Denver Broncos—one of several teams interested in Stafford—gave the Detroit Lions for the franchise quarterback. The specifics are hilariously awful. Per Breer, the Broncos were offering their first-round pick (ninth overall) and... well, nothing else. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the Broncos also wanted the Lions to send back a second-round pick in return. So, in essence, they were hoping to land Stafford for a pick swap of a little over 30 spots: the Lions get the ninth overall pick, the Broncos get Detroit’s second-round pick (No. 41 overall).
This obviously pales in comparison to the deals the Lions were offered by other teams. As noted by Breer, the Broncos were outbid by Washington (19th overall pick + third rounder) and the Panthers (eighth overall pick + fifth-rounder + Teddy Bridgewater). But the Broncos’ offer looks even more pathetic compared to the haul the Lions actually got from the Rams: Jared Goff, two first-round picks, and a third-round.
Why was the offer from the Broncos so low? Why didn’t they at the very least offer young quarterback Drew Lock in return, especially seeing as the Lions were specifically looking to obtain a quarterback in this trade? We don’t know for sure, but Broncos insider Benjamin Allbright has a theory.
Idea in keeping Lock and trading for Stafford would have been to continue to develop Lock.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) April 12, 2021
When Stafford deal up in two years, re-assess and see if A.) Stafford still had it at 35 years old and at price tag or B.) Lock would be ready to succeed him or C.) They look elsewhere. https://t.co/CYzfBCO3W9
Per Allbright, the Lions made a counter offer that included Lock: the ninth overall pick, Lock, an unnamed Broncos player and third-round pick for Stafford and a second-round pick. Denver turned that down.
The Broncos have still yet to find a new quarterback to challenge Lock, but many believe they are a contender to either grab one with their ninth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft or potentially even move up and grab one.
As for the Lions, it’s clear they made the right choice turning down this paltry offer from the Broncos, seeing as they acquired three extra picks and a quarterback—as opposed to no additional picks (just an upgrade of a pick) and no quarterback.