Stafford to Dolphins More Plausible than Watson?
After an NFL regular season unlike any other, the offseason is starting off unlike any other also thanks to speculation about two established quarterbacks being on the move.
Matthew Stafford has joined DeShaun Watson as a quarterback who could be playing for a new team in 2021 after weekend reports that he and the Detroit Lions have come to an agreement about trading him.
In the case of Watson, there have been no such reports, just frequent nuggets about the quarterback's continued dissatisfaction with the Houston Texans as well as analysis as to whether the relationship is broken beyond repair.
Oddsmakers have weighed in on the fun, naturally, and the Miami Dolphins are being mentioned among the leading trade destinations for both quarterbacks.
And this likely will come as a surprise, but at least one sportsbook has Stafford as more likely to be playing for the Dolphins in 2021 than Watson.
Miami is the fourth-favorite next team for Stafford, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, with odds placed at +400. The only teams ahead of Miami are the Indianapolis Colts at +210 and the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers both at +350.
As for Watson, FanDuel has the Dolphins as the third-biggest favorite, but at +550. The favorite to be Watson's team in 2021 is his current team, Houston, at +120, followed by the New York Jets at +220.
The possibility of Stafford landing with the Dolphins wasn't seen as nearly as likely by another oddsmaker, betonline.ag.
The Dolphins are given 25/1 odds to land Stafford, making them the 19th favorites. The Colts are the favorites at 3/1 followed by the 49ers at 7/2 and Denver at 9/2.
When it comes to Watson, the betonline.ag odds did not involve Houston, and the Dolphins were listed right behind the Jets as the most likely destinations. The Jets were listed as 15/4 favorites, followed by the Dolphins at 4/1.
From this vantage point, if the Dolphins had the opportunity to go after either quarterback, Watson would make more sense because he's 25 and Stafford will turn 34 on Feb. 7.
The Stafford news very well could impact the Dolphins in the final analysis, but it would be more in the form of a trade for the Lions to get their next quarterback, as we explained this weekend.
RELATED: How the Stafford News Might Impact the Dolphins
While we're on the topic of quarterbacks and odds regarding their next destination, Ryan Fitzpatrick was among those on the betonline.ag list of potential Colts starting QB in Week 1 of the 2021 season, but he was way down the list.
Fitzpatrick's odds were listed at 40/1, tying him with Marcus Mariota for 18th favorite. Jacoby Brissett was the favorite at 3/1, though it should be noted those odds were released before the Stafford news of the weekend.
Interestingly, Watson was listed at 16/1 to start for the Colts in Week 1 in 2021, though it's difficult to envision Houston trading him to a team within the division and having to face him twice — if it comes to the point where the Texans do decide to trade him.
Dolphins GM Chris Grier already has publicly declared his support for Tua Tagovailoa, describing him a couple of days after the end of the 2020 season as "our starter." But that clearly hasn't stopped the oddsmakers from suggesting a new quarterback could be heading to Miami in 2021.
