It appears a couple of former Patriots stars are split on whether New England should trade for Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.
While Rodney Harrison said earlier this week the Patriots would be a “perfect fit” for Stafford, whom the Lions agreed to part ways with this offseason, Tedy Bruschi is much more skeptical.
“No, I don’t agree with Hot Rod there,” Bruschi said Wednesday on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni and Fauria.” “I’m a fan of Matthew Stafford, the player. I’m just not a fan of his teams. And so what does that say? It says watching him play is fun — sling it all over the place, the arm angles, taking chances. All of that stuff, that’s great. But it never equals into anything substantial, anything meaningful for the victory.”
Bruschi might have a point. Stafford owns a 74-90-1 record in 12 seasons with Detroit since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. The Lions have made the playoffs just three times in that stretch, losing in the wild-card round on all three occasions.
Clearly, he’s no Tom Brady, who’s vying for his seventh Super Bowl title in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after securing six rings during a remarkable 20-year run with the Patriots.
But Stafford would be an upgrade over Cam Newton, who struggled throughout the 2020 campaign upon signing with the Patriots. And one could argue Stafford might reach a new level with more structure under Bill Belichick in New England.
Still, Bruschi isn’t sold on the idea.
“He is a star, but, yes, he is not a winner,” Bruschi said. ” … There’s a lot of guys out there with a lot of stats that have no playoff wins, and I think Stafford doesn’t have playoff wins for a reason.
“Now if he comes to New England, you’re gonna have to drop in pay, you’re gonna have to learn to play a different way. And if there’s anyone that knows what kind of player you are, he’s on the staff now, who’s just been hired, and that’s (former Lions head coach) Matt Patricia.”
It’s unclear whether Patricia rejoining the Patriots’ coaching staff after being fired by the Lions this season will be a deterrent in New England’s potential pursuit of Stafford.
If it isn’t, the Patriots will need to seriously consider Stafford, who turns 33 next month, even if they ultimately go in a different direction.
“I would say this, winning football is something that I don’t really recognize when I watch him play,” Bruschi said. “I just recognize the highlight plays that he has and that’s really not gonna work with this type of team, in my opinion.”
It sure sounds like there will be a strong market for Stafford, who might even garner the Lions a first-round pick in a trade. Only time will tell whether the Patriots are serious players in that sweepstakes.
