How the Rams Trading for Matthew Stafford Could Benefit the Jaguars

The landscape of the NFC changed in a big way thanks to a blockbuster trade over the weekend, a trade that sent Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles and Jared Goff to Detroit.

And in that change came a moment of relief for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are trying to finally remove themselves from the bottom of the AFC South.

How exactly does a trade between the Rams and Lions impact the Jaguars? The answer starts and ends with one of the Jaguars' AFC South rivals and their potentially crippling hole at the quarterback position.

If the Jaguars want to win in the first year of the Urban Meyer regime, it will mean taking advantage of weakened opponents in their division. Among the most capable of those opponents is the Indianapolis Colts, a team that is desperately looking for an answer at quarterback following the retirement of Philip Rivers.

Many thought one of the most sensible solutions to the Colts' No. 1 priority was to trade for Stafford, the former top pick who spent the last 12 years leading the Lions. Now, that option has vanished as the Rams have snatched Stafford out of the grasps of other quarterback-needy teams like the Colts, who reportedly showed interest in Stafford.

Now the Colts are going to have to look at other options to replace Rivers at the most important position in sports. Considering the Jaguars need to beat the Colts and other AFC South rivals to even think about going from worst to first in 2021, this trade could end up benefiting the Jaguars in a big way.

Simply put, Stafford was one of the favorites to be the Colts' next quarterback because their options are mostly limited otherwise.

The Colts were too good in 2020 to draft a top quarterback prospect unless they make a major trade. That is the downside to finding short-term solutions at quarterback, which is exactly what Rivers was.

Indianapolis is currently slated to pick No. 21 overall in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. This obviously doesn't eliminate their ability to select a franchise quarterback considering not all winning quarterbacks have been drafted within the top-20. But it does diminish the odds of them landing one of the draft's top prospects such as Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, or Trey Lance.

The Colts could still opt for a rookie quarterback to lead them in 2021. Perhaps Mac Jones is available at No. 21. Or maybe Frank Reich believes Kyle Trask is a quarterback he could work with. Then there is always the scenario in which the Colts make a blockbuster trade to move up for one of the aforementioned passers, but it is hard to envision them doing this if they didn't want to make an offer that strong for Stafford.

If the Colts don't want to explore drafting a quarterback, they could attempt to sign a veteran to start at quarterback for the second year in a row. The issue with that is the free agent quarterback market is unsurprisingly likely to be limited.

As of today, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is the top quarterback scheduled to be a free agent. With that said, it would be a major surprise if the Cowboys didn't bring Prescott back this offseason. With him unlikely to be available, the Colts' options in free agency would dwindle down to Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tyrod Taylor, and Mitch Trubisky.

General manager Chris Ballard is one of the best in the NFL, but he has been unable to solve the quarterback void that was created by Andrew Luck's retirement. He tried the internal route with Jacoby Brissett but had to pivot to free agency with Rivers.

The Rivers era lasted just one year, but it was a success considering the Colts finished 11-5 and made a playoff appearance. Now, the Colts are left to pick up the pieces without a clear and obvious solution facing them.

Stafford was one of the best options to be that solution. The Colts were already facing a tough road to finding a new quarterback, but that road has become even tougher. Their potential loss is the Jaguars' gain as a result.

Considering the current state of the AFC South, this could be a big break for the Jaguars if the cards fall right. Deshaun Watson has one foot out of the door in Houston, while the Tennessee Titans lost one of their best assets in former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

Following a 1-15 season in 2020, the Jaguars need all the breaks they can possibly get to turn things around quickly. Adding their own franchise quarterback with the No. 1 pick will go a long way, but the Colts' struggle to find a long-term quarterback solution could go just as long.

Add us as a preferred source on Google