Familiar Minnesota Vikings foe reported to be leaving the Detroit Lions
By Adam Carlson
The Minnesota Vikings may not have to face off against one of the toughest and most talented quarterbacks in the NFL anymore if the reports surrounding Detroit Lions superstar Matthew Stafford are true.
Since 2009, the Vikings have faced off against Stafford 21 times, including the final game of the 2020 NFL season that saw the Lions quarterback showcase his toughness and throw three touchdowns against the purple and gold. During his career against Minnesota, he was able to lead the offense to eight wins over that time In his 21 games, Stafford threw 31 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, gaining 5,176 yards through the air.
Sadly, that era has likely come to an end. It is being reported by multiple sources that the Detroit Lions and Matthew Stafford will be parting ways this offseason and the team will start actively exploring trades for the quarterback’s services.
The news was broken by Tom Pelissero on Twitter.
Sources: The #Lions and Matthew Stafford have mutually agreed to part ways this offseason and the team will begin exploring trade options in the coming weeks for their star QB.https://t.co/zT00sOGb8Q
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 23, 2021
Rumors of the mutual parting started from an episode of the CBS Sports Minute where Boomer Esiason was talking about new Lions head coach Dan Campbell. However, confirmation of the news didn’t come until around 5:30 pm CT.
Odds are that Stafford will land outside the NFC North and the tradition of facing off against him twice a season will come to an end, making games against the Detroit Lions a new experience from here on out.
Now, the Detroit Lions have some options moving forward. They can pursue someone like Deshaun Watson in a trade or use their number seven overall draft choice on their quarterback of the future.
It was a pleasure to watch Matthew Stafford play against the Minnesota Vikings so many times over the years. Hopefully, he can find a great fit for him outside the NFC North (or the NFC in general) and find the success that eluded him with the Lions.