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With Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions agreeing to part ways the trade rumours will start swirling around until a deal is done.
However the one team that makes a lot of sense for Stafford is the Indianapolis Colts, here is why.
The Colts have the youngest average age in the NFL at 25.35, just ahead of Jacksonville and New York. Out of the five youngest teams, they have the best record. They are still improving after an 11-5 season. They did go out in the Wild Card round to the Buffalo Bills who made the AFC Championship, losing a close game 27-24. This will be valuable experience for a young team.
One of the benefits of having a young offensive line is that they will be able to offer better protection in the pocket. Even though Indianapolis had a few offensive line injuries this season, they were still able to do a good job protecting Philip Rivers. With offensive tackle Le Raven Clark hopefully returning next season, the Colts offensive line should be back to full strength.
Colts cap space
One of the biggest advantages in going to the Colts is their cap space. They will have anywhere from $61-68 million in cap space this offseason. First, this cap space will help in trading for Stafford because he will have a $20 million cap hit if he is traded. The rest of the money can then be spent on free agents to improve the team.
If the Colts did decide to draft a quarterback in the draft, they could have Stafford mentor him. This is being done a lot more now with rookie quarterbacks, most notably with the Kansas City Chiefs where Alex Smith was a mentor to Patrick Mahomes. They will also be further adding to their team in the draft or using their picks to make some roster moves.
Either way the Indianapolis Colts are in a good position, they just need to find their quarterback.
