If the 49ers switch to Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, they will have a tough competition.
“As I understand it, about a third of the league called the Lions,” said Ian Rapoport of NFL Media on Wednesday in “Good Morning Football”. “Significant interest in Matthew Stafford, [the Lions] must be able to get at least one player in the first round from wherever he goes. “
Rapoport did not specify whether the 49ers were one of the teams to ask about Stafford, 32, amid reports that he and the Lions will split this offseason. Matt Maiocco of the NBC Sports Bay Area wrote earlier this month that the 49ers is expected to be one of the teams interested in Stafford, which Detroit selected as the overall number one choice in the 2009 NFL Draft.
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Trading for Stafford probably won’t require as many draft or player choices as, say, acquiring Deshaun Watson or Aaron Rodgers would, but competing with – more or less – 10 other suitors will almost certainly increase the acquisition price.
Peter King of NBC Sports speculated that the 49ers could trade Jimmy Garoppolo and a second-round player, but the number of teams allegedly interested in Stafford could mean that the 49ers will give up 12th place in this year’s draft as part of a wake up. 49ers currently have 10 draft selections for 2021, including number 12 and number 43 overall.
It’s not even Super Bowl week, so the Stafford saga is probably just beginning. If 49ers finally acquire QB, Rapaport reports indicate that they will have outlived many other bidders.
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