Latest Matthew Stafford trade rumors: lots of smoke from the 49ers, Colts

There is a lot of buzz surrounding Matthew Stafford’s trade talks this week, and it only seems to be increasing in intensity as the week progresses. With many coaches and general managers in Alabama for the Senior Bowl, it would only make sense for negotiations to progress at this stage. And while it is important to remember that a Stafford deal cannot become official until the new year of the league in mid-March, the terms can be agreed – and later leaked to the media – at the end of this sentence.

At this point, it is difficult to separate fact from fiction, as many insiders out there try to make a name out of false reports, but we will do our best to rely on reliable sources and see where the latest rumors are. on Stafford’s next current destination stand.

The Colts are hungry for QB

Colts owner Jim Irsay didn’t say directly that he wanted Matthew Stafford, but he certainly looked like someone prepared to go out and pick him up. Here’s what he said The Athletic’s Zak Keefer on the quarterback situation:

“We believe that we are close, that we have a large core of players who are able to compete for the Super Bowl very soon. Ideally, if you can get someone to come this year and be ready to go, that will give you your best chance. “

The Colts will not be in the race for Deshaun Watson, since that would require Texans to trade within the division, so, of course, people are speculating that Indianapolis is where Stafford will eventually land.

But compensation can be an obstacle. Peter King of NBC Sports joined The Junkies and speculated that Indy’s choice in the first round may not be enough to do so.

“(Colts GM) Chris Ballard, for me, is one of the best young GMs in 1-2-3 in football. But it will probably take more than the 21st choice in the draft to get Stafford and that’s what Indianapolis has now, ”

49ers have emerged as Vegas favorites

In the past 48 hours, the 49ers overtook the Colts as the team with the most favorable Vegas chances to win the Stafford draw. There has been a ton of smoke pointing specifically to San Francisco as a team that is already launching business for Lions. I won’t worry about increasing these signals, as they come from bland sources.

Most of it is probably just noise, but if there is enough noise, sometimes there is real truth behind it. The most reliable source who mentioned the connection is NFL insider Benjamin Allbright:

It is worth mentioning that Allbright also believes that the Colts are in the mix.

Lions are likely to have at least one choice in the first round

Unless some creative deals work around a first round choice, it is becoming clear that this is the starting point for most negotiations. According to Peter King, he believes that five teams will offer at least one choice in the first round. Combine that with Ian Rapoport’s report that almost a third of the NFL has contacted the Lions about a possible deal, and it looks like the price is going to go up.

Something soon?

Again, there seems to be a buzz about things heating up, but none of that seems particularly reliable at the moment.

Then there’s this tweet now deleted from Dan Orlovsky on Friday morning:

Of course, this can be about anything – from the stock market to news from Deshaun Watson. But given Orlovsky’s proximity to Stafford’s situation, it’s worth taking it seriously and considering why he may have deleted the tweet.

Get ready.