Matthew Stafford Trade Rumors Are Just a Smokescreen

Football fans in Detroit have been left absolutely dumbfounded by the conflicting reports that have emerged of late regarding the Lions' purported intentions of trading franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Seriously? Wake up and smell the coffee, people.

If you take a step (or two) away the ledge of insanity, you'll quickly come to terms with the notion that these rumors are merely a smokescreen to throw other NFL teams off the scent of Detroit's actual plan: trading back in April's draft.

The Lions may be planning on selecting a quarterback in the draft due to Stafford's advancing age and concerning injury history, but jumping to conclusions that the organization will cut ties with their former No. 1 overall pick altogether is ludicrous.

Detroit's roster, as presently constructed, is much more "win now" than "big rebuild." Stafford is obviously the best bet for trying to give it their best shot here and now. The franchise also recently restructured his contract. If the Lions were to trade him, they'd figure to be forced to eat a ton of salary one way or another.

And to put the cherry on top, general manager Bob Quinn came out and thoroughly rebuked the rumors.

Call it damage control or whatever you so choose, but one thing is crystal clear: the Detroit Lions are NOT trading Matthew Stafford this offseason.

With there being no guarantee that they land Tua Tagovailoa at No. 3 -- the Alabama phenom's family is reportedly is against Detroit drafting him -- we fully expect the Lions to trade back come April 23.