Detroit Lions Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Panthers In Mix For Matthew Stafford

January 30th, 2021 at 4:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Having recently hired former Texans and Lions quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan to the same position, the Panthers have an interesting connection to both of this year’s hot-commodity trade pieces. And the team appears to be considering both passers.

In addition to their Deshaun Watson pursuit, the Panthers are in on the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. They join the Rams and many others, with a previous report indicating as many as 12 teams have discussed Stafford with the new Lions regime, in this group.

Stafford, who will turn 33 next month, would bring appeal due to his lower trade price. But some Panthers staffers believe the former No. 1 overall pick is in decline, Person adds (subscription required). Such stances would make a pursuit interesting, especially given the makeup of Carolina’s roster. While the Lions are expecting a first-round pick in return for Stafford, the Panthers hold the No. 7 overall selection. That would be quite a price to pay for a rebuilding team.

The Panthers would seem to match up better with Watson, who is 25 and signed through the 2025 season. But Stafford would be a clear upgrade over Teddy Bridgewater as well. Two years and $43MM remain on Stafford’s contract, though he could well seek an extension from the team that acquires him.

Ryan coached Stafford over the past two years but was in Houston for Watson’s first two seasons, throwing an interesting variable into the mix. Ryan was on the radar for the Panthers’ OC job last year, but Matt Rhule ended up hiring Joe Brady.

Rams Shopping QB Jared Goff?

January 30th, 2021 at 8:31am CST by Ben Levine

Raise your hand if you saw this one coming. Following news from last night that Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford would welcome a trade to the Rams, we’re now hearing that Los Angeles is shopping around their incumbent signal-caller. Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports that the Rams have held “exploratory talks with multiple teams” regarding a Jared Goff trade.

From a financial perspective, trading Goff is easier said than done. As Rodrigue explains, the Rams would be stuck with $22.2MM in dead money if they were to trade the former first-overall pick. However, a trade would be more palatable if it took place after June 1, as the Rams would be left with only $6.8MM in dead money (plus another $15.4MM in dead cap in 2022). As our own Sam Robinson pointed out last night, releasing Goff is also unrealistic. The guarantees in the quarterback’s four-year, $134MM deal go through 2022, and the organization doesn’t have an easy out on that contract until 2023. While Stafford has base salaries of just $9.5MM and $12.5MM over the next two years, Goff’s contract certainly complicates any potential trade.

After earning Pro Bowl nodes in his sophomore and junior seasons (including a 2018 campaign where he helped guide the Rams to a Super Bowl loss), Goff has seemingly plateaued over the past two years. He tossed a career-high 16 interceptions in 2019, and his 20 passing touchdowns in 2020 was the lowest total since his rookie year (when he started only seven games). For comparison’s sake, Stafford has tossed fewer than 20 touchdowns only once since 2011, and that came during a 2019 campaign where he compiled 19 passing touchdowns in only eight games.

As Sam noted last night, Rams head coach Sean McVay and GM Les Snead have recently made comments indicating Goff’s status is less than secure. Rodrigue also notes that there’s a connection between the Rams’ and Lions’ front offices; new Lions GM Brad Holmes previously served as the Rams’ director of college scouting. Now ,that’s not to say that any Goff trade would necessarily involve the Lions; considering Detroit’s apparent desire to restart, it doesn’t seem that Goff would be a fit in any hypothetical Stafford-to-Los Angeles deal. Still, the connection between the front offices is too obvious to ignore.

Lions Add Dom Capers To Defensive Staff

January 29th, 2021 at 4:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Friday afternoon brought Dom Capers closer to hitting for the NFC North cycle. The former Packers DC and Vikings assistant will be a part of Dan Campbell‘s Lions staff next season.

The Vikings and the former head coach parted ways at season’s end. Capers spent nine seasons as Green Bay’s DC but has bounced around in recent years, serving in a senior defensive assistant-type role in Jacksonville and Minnesota. He will be a senior defensive assistant in Detroit as well, per the Lions.

While the 70-year-old Capers has not been with the Bears in his 30-plus-year NFL career, he has served as head coach for the Panthers and Texans — helming each as expansion teams — and was a defensive coordinator with the Steelers, Jaguars and Dolphins prior to his lengthy Green Bay stop.

He will join Aaron Glenn‘s defensive staff in Detroit. Glenn was with the Texans for most of Capers’ stay in Houston, serving as a starting cornerback from 2002-04. Capers served as Houston’s HC from 2002-05. With Glenn a first-time DC, the Lions adding one of the NFL’s most experienced coaches — and one who is familiar with the current NFC North makeup — makes sense.

Rams In Play For Matthew Stafford?

January 29th, 2021 at 4:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Add a team to the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes. The Rams, who have done well to distance themselves from Jared Goff recently, are exploring a deal for the Lions passer.

The Rams are looking into possibilities of a Stafford move, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who adds Stafford views the team as a contender for a potential trade (Twitter link).

Any Rams dissatisfaction with Goff would be secondary to the current Los Angeles starter’s contract, however. The guarantees in Goff’s four-year, $134MM deal go through 2022. The team does not have an easy out on that contract until 2023, with a 2020 Goff restructure putting more money on future years of this deal. The Rams would be tagged with a staggering $65MM if they released Goff; trading the inconsistent passer would cost the team $22MM.

Sean McVay and GM Les Snead have made comments indicating Goff’s status is less than secure, pointing to the Rams exploring a replacement. As of now, they plan to hold a competition between Goff and backup John Wolford.

A deal to an NFC team would be less likely than the Lions sending Stafford to the AFC, where there are also teams that make sense for the 32-year-old quarterback. The Patriots, Colts and Broncos add up as AFC Stafford suitors, and a recent report indicated the Lions can expect to collect a first-round pick for the 12-year veteran. The Rams do not have a first-round pick this year, having sent it to the Jaguars for Jalen Ramsey. Nevertheless, it appears the Rams are one of the 10-12 teams that have contacted the Lions about Stafford.

There is a newly formed connection between the Rams and Lions, however. The Lions just hired former Rams college scouting director Brad Holmes as their GM, with ex-Rams pro scouting director Ray Agnew now in place as Lions assistant GM. Still, the Rams’ top pick in this year’s draft comes at No. 57. The team has not made a first-round pick since trading up for Goff in 2016.

Lions To Hire Mark Brunell As QBs Coach

January 28th, 2021 at 6:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

4:40pm: A reality in which the top quarterback in Jaguars history mentors the passer the franchise hopes will surpass him in that regard will not come to pass. Brunell’s interview with the Lions is expected to him signing on as their QBs coach, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Rather than coaching Lawrence, Jacksonville’s presumptive first-round pick, Brunell may well be in line to work with a first-round passer in Detroit. The Lions, who hold the No. 7 overall pick, are expected to move on from Matthew Stafford soon.

4:29pm: Former Pro Bowl quarterback Mark Brunell is back on the NFL radar, this time as a coach. Despite Brunell having worked in the media industry in recent years, he is on multiple teams’ radars as a prospective quarterbacks coach.

Both the Jaguars and Lions are interested in Brunell for that job, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter links). Brunell is interviewing for Detroit’s QBs coach position Thursday, Rapoport notes.

New Jaguars coach Urban Meyer is interested in Brunell, former Chargers HC Mike McCoy and former Buccaneers and Giants OC Mike Sullivan for the job, per Wilson. Jacksonville’s next QBs coach will work under OC Darrell Bevell and will hold one of the NFL’s higher-profile position coach gigs, with Trevor Lawrence likely ticketed for Jacksonville.

Sullivan was most recently Denver’s QBs coach in 2018, but the veteran assistant began his NFL career in Jacksonville in 2002. The Steelers, however, have discussed their QBs coach position with Sullivan recently, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets.

While McCoy was the Broncos’ play-caller during Peyton Manning‘s first season in Denver (2012) and led the Chargers to the playoffs in 2013, he has experienced a rocky path in recent years. The Chargers ended his four-year stay as head coach after the 2016 season, and both the Broncos and Cardinals fired him as OC in-season in 2017 and ’18, respectively.

Brunell, 50, is the top quarterback in Jaguars history. He led the team to four straight playoff berths in his first four years as the team’s full-time starter, 1996-99, and twice guided the Jags to AFC championship games. Brunell was an NFL starter until 2006, his third season with Washington, and played in the league until age 41 before retiring in 2012. Brunell finished his career with the Jets, his multiyear stay overlapping with Anthony Lynn‘s time as Gang Green’s running backs coach. The Lions hired Lynn as their new offensive coordinator this week.

Lions Add Dave Fipp, Aubrey Pleasant To Staff

January 27th, 2021 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dan Campbell‘s first Lions staff is taking shape. They hired the third of their 2021 coordinators this week, announcing longtime Eagles special teams coordinator Dave Fipp will take the same position in Detroit.

The Lions are also hiring Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant as secondary coach, according to NFL.com’s Steve Wyche (on Twitter), and ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets new Lions linebackers coach Mark DeLeone will come over from the Bears.

Fipp coached the Eagles’ special teams units throughout Chip Kelly and Doug Pederson‘s tenures, beginning that run in 2013. In that time, Philly’s 12 return touchdowns ranked second in the league. Fipp has been an NFL assistant since the 2008 season. This includes time with Campbell in Miami. The two coached together with the Dolphins from 2011-12.

Pleasant represents an interesting get for the Lions. Washington attempted to promote Pleasant ahead of the 2017 season, but he left for Los Angeles. During that time, he interviewed for the Bengals’ DC job — one Lou Anarumo landed — in 2019 and oversaw the development of Rams corners Troy Hill and Darious Williams. The Jalen Ramsey sidekicks each ranked as top-30 corners, per Pro Football Focus, alongside Ramsey this past season. Pleasant will join ex-Rams staffers Brad Holmes and Ray Agnew — the Lions’ new GM and assistant GM, respectively — in trekking from southern California to Michigan.

DeLeone spent the past two seasons as Chicago’s inside linebackers coach under Chuck Pagano, overseeing the development of Roquan Smith, and was with the Chiefs from 2013-18 under then-Kansas City DC Bob Sutton. Additionally, the Lions are expected to retain tight ends coach Ben Johnson, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter).

Latest On Matthew Stafford

January 27th, 2021 at 2:43pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

This offseason projects as an unprecedented one in terms of quarterback movement. One high profile veteran signal-caller who will definitely be on the move is Matthew Stafford, who is set to be traded after 12 years with the Lions.

We heard yesterday that Detroit was preparing to start trade talks, and it sounds like things are heating up. There’s “significant interest” in Stafford, and “about a third of the league” has already called the Lions to inquire, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter video link). That would suggest that anywhere from 10-12 teams have already reached out to gauge the asking price.

To that end, Rapoport says the team “should be able to get at least a first-rounder” in any trade. There have been suggestions that the Lions want to wrap things up quickly, and it sure sounds like Stafford could have a new home before too long. The obvious contenders like the Colts, Broncos, Washington etc. are quite likely among the teams who have placed calls, but there are at least a handful of wild card teams at play here as well.

We’ve already heard that the 49ers could be interested in making a deal. Meanwhile, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com says he would be surprised if the Patriots don’t at least sniff around the situation. As he notes though, the return of Matt Patricia to New England’s coaching staff could complicate things if he and Stafford don’t have the best relationship (which isn’t necessarily the case).

Interestingly, Reiss also writes that if the 49ers pull off a trade for Stafford it could have a ripple effect where Bill Belichick is able to re-acquire Jimmy Garoppolo from San Francisco. That would certainly be a crazy arc. Whatever happens, we should have a lot more on the Stafford front soon.

Lions To Hire Ray Agnew As Assistant GM

January 26th, 2021 at 7:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams will lose another front office staffer to Detroit. New Lions general manager Brad Holmes will bring Ray Agnew with him as assistant GM, according to Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Agnew, a former first-round pick who won a Super Bowl as a member of the Rams later in his career, worked as the team’s director of pro scouting for the past four years. The Lions are committing to the Rams’ scouting directors going forward, with Holmes coming over after serving as Los Angeles’ college scouting director.

An 11-year NFL veteran who started at defensive tackle for the 1999 Rams team that won Super Bowl XXXIV, Agnew broke into the personnel ranks with the Jets before joining the Rams front office. Having made the playoffs in three of the past four years, the Rams have seen teams pay attention at hiring time. The team has lost two execs and defensive coordinator Brandon Staley this offseason.

While the Rams will receive two third-round picks for the Lions’ hire of Holmes, due to the NFL’s Rooney Rule revision incentivizing teams that lose minorities to GM or head coaching positions, no such compensation will come from Agnew’s departure. But Les Snead will need to replace two key staffers now.

Agnew will join two-time GM John Dorsey on Holmes’ staff, which has begun the process of finding top value for Matthew Stafford. The Lions began trade talks Tuesday.

Lions Begin Matthew Stafford Trade Talks

January 26th, 2021 at 3:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Late last week, the Lions and Matthew Stafford agreed to go their separate ways this offseason. Already, teams have started reaching out to the Lions to talk trade, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

Stafford, 32, has spent all 12 of his NFL seasons in Detroit. The Colts, Patriots, Broncos, and Washington TBDs would all be logical landing spots for him, but it’s not clear which of those clubs have contacted the Lions so far.

Stafford popped up in trade rumors last year, but GM Bob Quinn denied that he was on the block. Now, there’s a new regime in Detroit, led by head coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes. After hiring former Chargers coach Anthony Lynn as their OC, they’re prepared to overhaul the offense.

The veteran managed to play in all 16 games this year, no small feat given his 2019 back injury. Still plenty productive, he’s also mighty affordable. Stafford’s contract runs through 2022 with base salaries of just $9.5MM and $12.5MM. Owed a $10MM roster bonus on the fifth day of the league year, the Lions are looking to trade Stafford before the March due date.

In 2020, Stafford posted a 26-10 TD-INT ratio while ranking 15th in QBR. It was a solid bounce-back from his ’19 slate, which ended with a total of eight starts.

Duce Staley Joins Lions

January 25th, 2021 at 10:40am CST by Zachary Links

Duce Staley got his wish. The Eagles granted the assistant coach’s request for release, paving the way for him to join the Lions’ staff (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).

Staley will now serve as the Lions’ assistant head coach/running backs coach under Dan Campbell. The ex-Eagles running back joined the Birds’ coaching staff all the way back in 2013, but he got frustrated after being passed over twice for the head coaching job. In 2016, the Eagles chose Doug Pederson instead. This year, the Eagles went with Nick Sirianni, who opted against promoting Staley to offensive coordinator.

Staley, who will turn 46 next month, also drew interest from the Bears. Instead, he’ll face Chicago a couple times per year. With ex-RBs Staley and Anthony Lynn (offensive coordinator) in the fold, you can expect the Lions to focus on the run game in 2021. That might be for the best, since the Lions will probably be moving forward without quarterback Matthew Stafford.

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