Chicago Bears: These shocking trades could flip the NFC North
By Ryan Heckman
Trade No. 1: The Chicago Bears see Detroit start fresh
The Detroit Lions made some big changes over the past couple of months, firing former head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn. Detroit then hired Dan Campbell as their next head coach and Brad Holmes to replace Quinn as their next general manager.
One rumor that has been talked about for a little while now is whether or not the Lions would consider trading starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. The best quarterback in their franchise’s history, Stafford is now 32 years old and Detroit has the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft.
If the Lions chose to trade Stafford, they could net a decent haul of draft capital in return. Then, drafting his replacement at the no. 7 spot (or trading up a little higher) is in play.
One quote from new general manager Brad Holmes during his introductory press conference stuck out in regards to Stafford. When asked about his quarterback, Holmes left the door open for a trade.
Holmes on Stafford:
— Justin Rose (@JRoseDet) January 19, 2021
“Matthew, great player. You appreciate how intangibles show on film, but it is my job to evaluate the entire roster. I have not had any discussions with Matthew or any player.”
The Lions could opt to trade Stafford, then draft a player like Zach Wilson or Trey Lance, and go into a full-on rebuild. That wouldn’t immediately change the NFC North standings much from Detroit’s point of view, but in a few years, it could see them rise quite a bit.
If the Lions traded Stafford and hit on a quarterback, Bears fans may not find it as easy to poke fun at Detroit for much longer.