Lions and quarterback Matthew Stafford have mutually agreed to part ways, should the Broncos be interested?

According to multiple reports, the Detroit Lions and quarterback Matthew Stafford have reportedly decided to mutually part ways this offseason. So now, the Lions will start talking a trade with interested teams. Should the Broncos be among the interested teams?

Stafford, a former first-overall pick just finished up his 12th season in the NFL which he has spent all with the Lions. Now, he will look to leave Detroit and try to spark his career elsewhere.

During Stafford’s 12 seasons in the NFL, Stafford has totaled 45,109 yards, 282 touchdowns, 144 interceptions. He has completed 62.6% of his passes throughout his career and has a career 89.9 quarterback rating. He also has 1,198 yards rushing and 14 rushing touchdowns as well. This past season for the Lions. Stafford totaled 4,084 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He completed 64.2% of his passes and had a quarterback rating of 96.3.

Now, should the Broncos be interested in Stafford? I say most definitely. While older and coming with a risk of injuries, he would improve the quarterback position and potentially make the team a playoff contender in 2021.

Newly hired General Manager George Paton did not fully commit to Drew Lock during his introductory presser earlier this week. He did say Lock was “talented” and “could develop” but stopped short on committing to Lock being the teams starter in 2021.

“I liked Drew coming out of the draft—big arm, athletic, playmaker. I haven’t studied him. I haven’t gotten into a lot of tape. I’ve only been here four days. I’ve watched enough tape to know he’s talented and he can develop”.

When asked about the importance of having a Franchise quarterback, Paton said that they are “looking for one”. Could Stafford fill that role in the short term for the Broncos?

“The quarterback is the most important position in sports. If you don’t have stability at quarterback, you’re going to have a hard time sustaining winning. So, very important, but I don’t think the focus should be taken off the defense just because you want a franchise quarterback. I think we all want the franchise quarterback, and that’s the number one goal is trying to draft and develop or acquire any way you can. When I was in Minnesota, I think we went to the playoffs with six different quarterbacks if I’m not mistaken. That’s not ideal, but you can still win if you don’t have the franchise guy. You can still win, but obviously we’re looking.”

We really don’t have a clue on how Paton plans on addressing the quarterback position this offseason, so we could get an idea of how aggressive he plans to be this offseason at finding a starting quarterback.

I expect teams like the Colts, Patriots, 49ers and potentially the Broncos to have some level of interest. So if the Broncos do want Stafford, they likely will face some competition and Stafford’s preference will likely be weighted as well.

At the end of the day, George Paton did say he and the team will be aggressive in free agency and the trade market if the “right type of player” is available. Do you think Stafford fits that definition and how aggressive do you want the Broncos to be if they target Stafford? Or should they just stick with Lock and see if he can actually develop into a franchise quarterback for the Broncos?