© Kirthmon F. Dozier | 2021 Jan 3
The 49ers are now the betting favorites to land disgruntled Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. If San Francisco does indeed execute a trade for the 12-year veteran, two of the brightest NFL analysts will be on board.
Senior Producer of NFL Films Greg Cosell told Tolbert, Krueger & Brooks this week that Stafford is a significant upgrade over Jimmy Garoppolo, and that it would be a no-brainer to trade for him over selecting an unproven quarterback in the upcoming draft.
Steve Young, an NFL analyst for ESPN who knows a thing or two about playing quarterback, agreed wholeheartedly.
“I agree,” Young told KNBR on Wednesday. “Untested young talent vs. a kid who has been super tested, because he’s been in Detroit. I am not joking about that. It is not a career-enhancing place. We all need to tip our cap to him regardless of if he does anything else. If he retires today. I don’t tip my cap to everybody, but I’d tip my cap to that kid for what he’s been through, how he propped it up, how relentless he’s been, how much he’s gotten done.
“I always thought if he could get somewhere, where he could be free…if he’s generally healthy and can play until he’s 39 or 40 years old, there’s no question he is one of those handful of quarterbacks that is generational.”
Why do Young and Cosell like Stafford so much? Possibly because he’s thrown for 4,000 yards eight times in his career. A 49ers quarterback hasn’t done that since Jeff Garcia 21 years ago.
One can only imagine how many he’d throw for in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. It seems like there’s a good chance we might find out.
Listen to the full interview below.