Report: Matthew Stafford willing to go anywhere but New England

Matthew Stafford apparently wasn’t in a New England state of mind after asking out of Detroit.

Prior to the mega-deal being agreed upon to send him to the Los Angeles Rams, in exchange for Jared Goff and a slew of draft picks, including two first-rounders, Stafford reportedly let it be known to the Lions braintrust New England wasn’t on his destination list.

According to Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston, Stafford was willing to go anywhere but New England.

No firm reasons were provided in the report, but it’s pretty easy to speculate.

First, why would an established quarterback want to go to a place that’s rebuilding, and has no big-time weapons? If Tom Brady got frustrated with his lack of playmakers, why would Stafford want to jump into the same situation?

Second, Matt Patricia’s presence back in the fold with the Patriots might have also factored in. Stafford might have wanted to distance himself from the Detroit experience, and walking in to see the former Lions head coach every day might not have been too appealing. Again, this is purely speculation and conjecture.

Who knows, maybe it was as simple as the dome quarterback not wanting to play in the cold.

Of course, questions will abound if this is going to be what it’s like for the Patriots trying to court potential free agents. Is Bill Belichick really going to have a tough time landing the players he needs?

Time will tell.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3j2KW2R