49ers Must Not Go All In For Matthew Stafford
Is the market for Matthew Stafford weak?
It is certainly looking that way.
Ever since Stafford and the Lions agreed to a mutual parting, the only team that has been rumored to be in on him is the 49ers. Initially, teams such as the Colts and Washington were believed to be other heavy suitors in on Stafford. But their camps have been relatively quite. That is not to say they aren't getting something worked in the shadows, but the fact that nothing has been rumored is telling.
It is enough to at least diminish any market for Stafford, which significantly benefits the 49ers. Because of how low the competition is for him, the 49ers must not go all in for Stafford. As a matter of fact, even if the competition was high, they should not go all in.
The 49ers cannot mortgage the future on Stafford. While he is a huge upgrade from Jimmy Garoppolo, he is only under contract for the next two seasons. Plus, his back injury history is something to keep an eye on. This is not a guy, at least not at first, that the 49ers will want to extend because he will likely command a lot of money. Stafford should be viewed as both a bridge and win-now quarterback.
San Francisco's 12th pick in Round 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft should be the highest they should consider giving up for him. Even that might be overbidding given how no one is really moving on Stafford. That is why the Lions are trying to spread rumors about Stafford wanting to go to the Rams. They are desperate to milk the most draft capital out of the 49ers or anyone else looking to acquire Stafford's services.
Right now, the Lions and the 49ers are in a poker match.
Whichever team blinks first is going to ruin their end of the trade. So for the 49ers to come out on Saturday and say, "Nope not us" in regards to being in on Stafford, they are remaining steadfast on their offer. It is wise for the 49ers to do so. They are reading the room with the Lions and it says that they are impatient to get the best offer. The 49ers are the smarter franchise, so they can easily get away with multiple Day 2 picks for him. I'd argue that the 2022 first-round pick wouldn't be bad collateral either.
At first, I thought the 12th overall pick in this year's draft would be the opening to talk. Then they would need to juice it with some kickers like a mid- to late-round pick. But if that is the case, the 49ers are better off doing that to trade up in the draft and take a quarterback.
Going all in for Stafford is not a wise move, so right now the 49ers are playing the field well. I know how great it would be to improve the quarterback position, but the 49ers must not act out of desperation.
Continue to keep the sunglasses on and force the Lions to blink.