Matthew Stafford reportedly told the Lions to trade him anywhere but the Patriots
Matthew Stafford reportedly told the Detroit Lions he would accept a trade anywhere but to the New England Patriots.
Stafford is turning 33 and may want to play for a contender while the Patriots are rebuilding.
The Patriots also recently hired Matt Patricia, the recently fired Lions coach, perhaps making for an awkward reunion if Stafford went there.
Matthew Stafford reportedly made one thing clear in trade talks with the Detroit Lions: he didn't want to be traded to the New England Patriots.
According to NBC Sports' Tom Curran, a Patriots staff member involved in trade talks said Stafford was open to being traded "anywhere but New England."
Stafford was eventually dealt to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff and two first-round picks in a blockbuster move.
Stafford's reluctance to join the Patriots makes sense on several levels.
Stafford is nearly 33, and the Patriots are rebuilding. Stafford and the Lions haven't made the postseason since 2016, so Stafford likely wasn't eager to go to a team cycling out of one era and into the next.
The Patriots lack the skill players - wide receivers, tight ends, running backs - that would entice a quarterback in Stafford's position to come.
The Patriots play outdoors in harsh weather, whereas Stafford has always played home games in a dome.
The Patriots recently rehired Matt Patricia, the Lions' fired head coach. Patricia was reportedly not popular with the Lions locker room. Whether Stafford was part of that group is unclear, but it may have made for an awkward reunion, nonetheless.
As Curran noted, the Patriots' reputation for being a hard-working, no-nonsense franchise may hurt their ability to attract free agents or land superstars in trades. That culture may look even worse from the outside without Tom Brady and the near-guarantee of playing deep into the postseason.
Lions receiver Danny Amendola - who played for the Patriots before joining the Lions - said on "First Things First" that Brady represented the much-hyped "Patriot Way."
"When you see 'Patriot Way' in the dictionary, it's going to have Tom Brady's name next to it," Amendola said. "None of those coaches threw any passes. None of those coaches caught any passes. None of those coaches made any tackles. They got guys in the right position because they watch a lot of film and they spend all their time at the facility. But Tom Brady is the Patriot Way, and that's the reason why Tom Brady's in the Super Bowl right now and the Patriots aren't."
Of course, Stafford wouldn't have been joining the Patriots if Brady was still there, but it's yet another sign that the Patriots rebuild may have a long way to go after Brady's exit.
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