Matthew Stafford next NFL team odds: Colts, Broncos, 49ers, Patriots favored to trade for Lions quarterback

If the Detroit Lions had promoted former offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to full-time head coach from his interim role after replacing the fired Matt Patricia, then reportedly franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford would have wanted to stay with the only team he has known. Alas, the Lions didn't do that, hiring former Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell as head coach instead. That was the last straw for Stafford as he now wants out of the Motor City and the Lions are going to accommodate him. SportsLine offers odds on which team Stafford suits up for next NFL season.

The 33-year-old Stafford, a former No. 1 overall pick, put up some gaudy numbers at times with the Lions but never won a playoff game in his 12 seasons with the franchise. Stafford has a pretty team-friendly contract that is due to pay him $20 million for the 2021 season and $23 million in 2022. While that obviously sounds like a lot of money, it's very respectable for someone of Stafford's talent. He is due a $10 million roster bonus on the fifth day of the league year (the new league year begins March 17) – so there should be a deal by then. There's even some talk the Lions could try and complete a deal this week before Super Bowl 55 takes center stage.

This past season, Stafford completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 4,084 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 picks. He has led 38 game-winning drives during his career and 31 fourth-quarter comebacks – tied for eighth all time in game-winning drives and seventh in fourth-quarter comebacks. Stafford also has been quite durable, playing all 16 games nine of the past 10 seasons.

The Lions almost surely will take a quarterback with the No. 7 overall pick in this year's draft – will Justin Fields fall that far? – and reportedly will demand a first-round pick to acquire Stafford (Detroit has just five picks in the 2021 draft overall). A team in win-now mode near the back end of the draft probably would do that.

The Colts are clear favorites because Philip Rivers retired and Jacoby Brissett is a free agent. They could offer the No. 21 overall pick and have nearly $70 million in cap space. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote this: "This is a spot Stafford most definitely has his eyes on, from what I'm hearing."

New Washington Football Team general manager Martin Mayhew was the GM in Detroit when Stafford was drafted with the top pick in 2009. Washington holds the No. 19 overall pick in the first round of the draft. The Lions probably would prefer to trade Stafford outside the conference if possible. They certainly will not send him to a division rival like Chicago. That's why the QB-needy Bears aren't a betting option.

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has said he wants Jimmy Garoppolo back as his starting QB, but you hear rumors the Niners could trade Jimmy G back to New England and chase Stafford. The Niners have the No. 12 overall pick in the first round of the draft.

The Patriots probably will call Detroit, too. New England has the No. 15 overall pick and Patricia has returned to the club as an assistant coach (which may or may not be a good thing in terms of luring Stafford). The Cam Newton experiment was a clear failure and he's not expected back.

Would the Rams trade Jared Goff to the Lions for Stafford? Would Detroit even want Goff? How about Derek Carr from the Raiders for Stafford? What the Texans do with Deshaun Watson (or don't do) also could affect the Stafford market. 

Via SportsLine NFL oddsmakers: Which team will Matthew Stafford be playing for Week 1 of the 2021 season?

• Indianapolis +250
• Denver +400
• San Francisco +500
• New England +600
• Washington +800
• Carolina +1000
• Las Vegas +1200
• LA Rams +1500
• Houston +1800
• New Orleans +2000

The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up almost $7,900 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception five-plus years ago. It is a sizzling 24-14 on top-rated NFL picks this season, returning well over $800. The model also enters the 2021 Super Bowl on an incredible 120-78 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season.