The report that the New England Patriots were the one team Matthew Stafford didn’t want to be traded to has come as a shock to the NFL world.

Whether or not the report from NBC Sports’ Tom Curran is true, it’s somewhat easy to understand for a wide variety of reasons. The departure of Tom Brady after the 2019 season precipitated the worst Patriots season since 2000. New England could not do anything with the combination of Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer.
Additionally, the Patriots just brought back former Lions head coach Matt Patricia to Bill Belichick’s staff. Stafford and Patricia didn’t exactly part ways on the best of terms.
Naturally, a lot of NFL analysts and fans alike are talking about the report today. Some like Colin Cowherd believe it’s proof that Brady was the driving engine behind New England’s dominance.
It’s so much harder to replace a “system QB” than anyone would have guessed. https://t.co/Bw7SOZIdWm
— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) January 31, 2021
Others believe it’s more of a sign that Stafford just doesn’t want anything to do with Matt Patricia or the Patriots’ impending rebuild.
“(Matt) Patricia has rejoined the #Patriots this offseason. Probably not a selling point.” https://t.co/TaPpXNr6Ll
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) January 31, 2021
If this is because of any other reason than Stafford despising Matt Patricia then the Patriots are in a world of trouble if fringe top 10 QBs are taking a hard pass. https://t.co/pKVrIO7cvM
— Trey Daerr (@TreyDaerr) January 31, 2021
A two-year glimpse of the “Patriot Way” will do that https://t.co/JQ2L30Q6Wc
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 31, 2021
Still others preferred to believe that the Patriots are better off without Stafford. Some feel that the price it took for the Rams to get him was too high.
this is good for the Pats. Giving up two firsts, a third and more would of been a bad move for New England. #Patriots #NFL https://t.co/K4PdPdtP8F
— RoShamBo Sports (@RoShamBoSports) January 31, 2021
Doesn’t matter. Pats weren’t giving up 2 1s for him anyways https://t.co/FxqfUH6LFa
— ???????????? ???????????? ?????? (@WormDoes) January 31, 2021
With Matthew Stafford no longer available, the Patriots must now go back to the drawing board to figure out what to do at quarterback.
There’s no shortage of options for the Patriots or really any team looking for a quarterback this offseason.
But losing out on Matthew Stafford could loom large if the Patriots don’t get quality play from under center in 2021.
The post NFL World Reacts To The Matthew Stafford, Patriots News appeared first on The Spun.