Matthew Stafford Addresses Lions Exit, Trade Options, Injuries
A week after Matthew Stafford‘s January trade request surfaced, the Rams made a deal to acquire him for Jared Goff and three draft picks. But a Detroit departure was on the 12-year veteran’s mind ahead of the 2020 season as well.
Rumors circulated about a Stafford trade last year, when he was coming off an injury-abbreviated 2019 season, but those quickly fizzled. Stafford played 16 Lions games last season, but the team’s 5-11 record led to a regime change and the official trade request. Now set for a rebuild, the Lions hired ex-Rams exec Brad Holmes as GM and Dan Campbell as head coach.
“To be honest, Kelly and I probably started talking about it before last season,” Stafford said of he and his wife’s discussions about a possible Detroit exit (via Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press). “It was one of those things where, you know, we were hoping that, golly, let’s go, I hope this thing takes off and we play great. But if it doesn’t, you just knew what was going to happen. They were going to tear it down and rebuild.
“And anytime you switch GMs and a head coach, you know that they’re going to want to bring their own people in, and that’s going to take time. And I, frankly, didn’t feel like I was the appropriate person to oversee that time.”
Stafford, who turned 33 last week, generated trade inquiries or offers from nearly half the league. The Panthers offered their first-round pick (No. 8 overall) and Teddy Bridgewater for him; Washington offered its No. 19 overall choice and more as well. The Broncos’ offer did not come in on that level, but they joined the Colts, 49ers, Bears and Patriots as other suitors. Stafford was believed to be against a New England trade.
“I thought all the places that everybody else thought. Indianapolis. San Francisco — although you didn’t know what was gonna happen with Jimmy (Garoppolo),” Stafford said. “Washington, but we obviously didn’t know what was gonna happen there. I just didn’t know how (the Rams) would ever be able to (execute a trade). I’m not a salary cap guru. It kind of got to a point where I’m like, OK, I can’t sit there and go crazy. I just tried to let it happen, and L.A. aggressively jumped into it.”
Between 2013-18, the Lions won between six and nine games in five seasons. Stafford will head to a Rams team that has made three of the past four playoff brackets, after missing the previous 12.
“I’ve always wanted to play in those big games; I feel like I will excel in those situations. I wanted to shoot my shot,” Stafford said, via Albom. “… In my mind, I felt like I was going to be able to help us go win six, seven, eight games, because I wasn’t gonna let us lose more than that, you know? But I probably wasn’t good enough (by myself) to help us win more than that. And maybe we don’t ever get those top picks that we needed.
Although the Rams are set to upgrade at quarterback, they will acquire a player coming off some recent injuries. Back trouble caused Stafford to miss eight games in 2019, and he said he suffered a torn UCL in his left elbow during Detroit’s Thanksgiving game. Stafford also told Albom he suffered a partial UCL tear in his right thumb and a broken rib and encountered multiple leg issues this past season. The former No. 1 overall pick, however, has only missed eight games in the past 10 years.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/11/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: CB Robert Jackson
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DT Isaiah Mack
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Alize Mack
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: S Kai Nacua
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/9/21
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: G Malcolm Pridgeon
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: G Lester Cotton Sr.
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: RB Austin Walter
Details On 49ers' Pepper Extension
- Speaking of relatively minor contracts, Yates also tweeted the details for the recent extensions for Raiders quarterback Nathan Peterman and 49ers long snapper Taybor Pepper. Peterman got a guaranteed $1MM base salary on his one-year deal, a $25K workout bonus, and a max value of $2.775MM with incentives. Pepper got two-years, $2.08MM with an $80K signing bonus and $220K of his $920K salary for 2021 guaranteed. It’s pretty eyebrow-raising to see Peterman get his $1MM guaranteed considering he’s thrown all of five passes the past two seasons, but Jon Gruden clearly loves the guy. This would suggest he’s got a good shot to hold the clipboard for Derek Carr, or whoever is the Raiders’ starter next year.
Alex Mack Interested In Joining 49ers
Falcons center Alex Mack is 35 now, but it doesn’t sound like retirement is anywhere near his mind. In fact, the impending free agent appears to already be thinking about destinations, and has an interesting one in mind.
Mack called playing for the 49ers “very enticing” when speaking with Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports this past week. Mack specifically singled out Kyle Shanahan, who he played under in 2014 with the Browns and 2016 with the Falcons. “Kyle is an incredible coach,” Mack said. “He’s an incredible coach, great person, strong motivator and runs an offense that is something that I’d know really well and that I performed very well in.”
The interest is clearly there on Mack’s side, and since the 49ers have a lot of uncertainty at center right now, it could be a perfect match. Weston Richburg, San Francisco’s normal starter, missed this entire past season after suffering a devastating knee injury late in the 2019 campaign. He has two years left on his deal but it’s unlikely he’s back at his hefty $8MM+ salaries, and as Maiocco points out the team can save nearly $5MM by cutting him this offseason.
Ben Garland became the 49ers’ starter, but he’s a journeyman who got himself injured as well after just a handful of games. A first-round pick out of Cal back in 2009, Mack is a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro who made the NFL’s all-decade team for the 2010s at center.
Despite his somewhat advanced age he’s been durable, starting 14 games this past year and all 16 in 10 of the previous 11. Mack got five years and $45MM from Atlanta last time he hit free agency and while his next contract won’t be quite as lucrative, he should still command a decent amount of money from the 49ers or any other team.
49ers To Bring Back Josh Rosen
The 49ers are set to bring back Josh Rosen (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). It won’t cost them much to retain the former first-round pick, who is tethered to the team as an exclusive rights free agent. 
Rosen was cut by the Dolphins in early September and spent the bulk of the year on the Bucs’ practice squad. He has yet to impress as an NFL quarterback, though he has not been given the best of opportunities. The 2018 No. 10 overall pick struggled for the Cardinals — who ranked last in scoring and total offense in 2018 — and the Dolphins, who had perhaps the league’s worst roster in 2019. Rosen took over for Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 2 and started the next three games that year, but Brian Flores didn’t really look back after giving him the hook.
The fourth quarterback selected in 2018’s five-QB first round, Rosen owns a career 54.8% completion rate and a ghastly 4.4 adjusted yards per attempt figure. He has thrown 12 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions in 20 career games (16 starts).
Still, there’s no sense in the 49ers giving up on the one-time Bruins star. Rosen won’t turn 24 until February, and the 49ers have him on the cheap.
RB Frank Gore Would Welcome 49ers Reunion
Frank Gore seems to be keeping his options open as he considers whether to return for his 17th NFL season. However, the veteran running back made is abundantly clear that he’d delay his potential retirement if it meant he could return to the 49ers.
[RELATED: Frank Gore May Continue Playing]
“Oh, oh, I’d come back fast,” Gore said during an appearance on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco (via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com). “Man, I’d love to wear that No. 21 jersey one more time. If that was to happen, that would definitely be my last year, if I could come back and sign with the 49ers. I respect Jed, I respect the York family, I respect Kyle, I feel like one of the best play callers in the game right now . . . You gotta tell Jed and Kyle, just bring me back.”
Gore, a third-round pick in the 2005 draft, spent the first 10 seasons of his career in San Francisco, earning five Pro Bowl appearance and a second-team All-Pro nod. Gore has a considerable lead on the team’s all-time rushing record (11,073), but he’s four touchdowns behind Joe Perry for the 49ers all-time rushing touchdown record.
Following a three-year stint with the Colts, Gore has spent the past three years touring the AFC East, spending time with the Dolphins, Bills, and Jets. The 37-year-old started 14 of his 15 games for New York in 2020, collecting 742 yards from scrimmage and a pair of offensive touchdowns.
Gore’s iron-man approach and veteran savviness would be welcomed by many squads, but the 49ers could theoretically have an open spot on their depth chart. Both Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon are set to hit free agency, meaning the front office could be looking for depth behind leftovers Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson.
49ers, LS Taybor Pepper Agree On Extension
Bigger business resides on the 49ers’ contract docket, but the team took care of a lower-profile player Thursday. The 49ers signed long snapper Taybor Pepper to a two-year extension.
Pepper’s agreement includes $300K guaranteed, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. The four-year veteran snapper was due to be a free agent in March; he is now signed with San Francisco through 2022.
While long snappers can remain in place with teams for many years, often in anonymity, this marks a change of pace for Pepper. He began his career with the Packers in 2017 but only played in four games. He did not play in 2018, but the Dolphins used him as their full-time deep snapper in 2019. They did not bring him back.
Pepper caught on with the 49ers in late September of last year and snapped in the team’s final 12 games. No salary specifics have emerged, but with non-rookie-contract snappers confined to a narrow salary range between $1MM and $1.2MM, Pepper will probably be the latest member of this group.
Goff-Stafford Fallout: Rams, Lions, Suitors
Sean McVay‘s call to Jared Goff informing him of the Rams‘ decision to trade him ended quickly, but the five-year starter will exit a rapidly deteriorating (for him) situation. Both McVay and Les Snead gave suboptimal endorsements of Goff’s 2021 status recently. While the Lions could well draft a quarterback with their first-round pick, Goff is now set up to be the starter in Detroit.
“I’m just excited to be somewhere that I know wants me and appreciates me,” Goff said, via NFL.com’s Michael Silver. “I’m moving forward and couldn’t be more excited to build a winner there. I’m excited about Dan (Campbell) and the whole staff.”
Goff had entered the past four Rams seasons as the team’s unquestioned starter and will now attempt to stabilize his career in Detroit. The Rams will host the Lions at some point next season. Here is the latest from Saturday night’s blockbuster trade:
- Several teams made offers for Matthew Stafford. We can add Washington to that list. The NFC East champions presented the Lions an offer featuring more 2021 assets than the Rams offered, Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post tweets. It can be assumed Washington was willing to part with its first-round pick — No. 19 overall — but the team’s proposal could not match the unique opportunity the Lions had in leveraging Goff’s lavish contract into a monster Rams package. Washington has Alex Smith and Kyle Allen under contract for 2021, but Smith’s status is far from certain and Allen is coming off a severe injury. Taylor Heinicke is set to be an RFA.
- Joining the Panthers, Broncos, Patriots and Washington in pursuing Stafford: the 49ers, Colts and Bears, according to NBC Sports’ Peter King (Twitter link) and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. All of these teams have quarterback questions, though the 49ers have indicated Jimmy Garoppolo will be their starter next season. A Bears deal would have certainly qualified as farfetched, but Chicago made an effort at a rare intra-divisional trade. Mitchell Trubisky is a free agent and obviously has not delivered anything close to what the Bears envisioned when they drafted him. Nick Foles is under contract for 2021, but the Bears, at the very least, will bring in competition for a quarterback they benched this season. The Colts lost Philip Rivers to retirement and have Jacoby Brissett as a UFA-to-be. While Jim Irsay said he would welcome Andrew Luck back, nothing has transpired on this front in a while.
- Goff has already spoken with Campbell and other Lions staffers, and Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter) the five-year veteran has a physical coming soon. While the Lions could technically fail Goff on his physical and void the trade, Darlington adds that based on Goff’s early conversations with Detroit coaches it can clearly be assumed the former No. 1 overall pick will be the team’s starter to open the 2021 season.
Nick Mullens Undergoes Elbow Surgery
- Jeff Wilson‘s one-year 49ers extension can max out at $3.6MM, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. Wilson will receive $2.05MM fully guaranteed, with another possible $1.55MM available via incentives. The incentives would give Wilson a chance to out-earn the low-end RFA tender price, which OverTheCap projects at $2.24MM for running backs. He is still due to be a 2022 UFA.
- Nick Mullens underwent elbow surgery last month, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. This, however, was not a Tommy John operation, with Garafolo adding the 49ers backup’s injury was not as severe as initially feared. He is expected to be ready by training camp.