Should Colts fans be concerned with Matthew Stafford-49ers rumors?

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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How should Colts fans feel about Matthew Stafford being linked with the 49ers?

Football fans are currently preparing for an offseason of quarterback movement like never before, and the Indianapolis Colts figure to play a prominent role in the sweepstakes given their glaring need for a new starter after Philip Rivers announced his retirement last week.

Trading for an experienced veteran seems like the best way for the Colts to maximize their potential — which, if the roster is close to full strength, is competing for a championship — and luckily for them, there are slated to be at least two stars, Deshaun Watson and Matthew Stafford, available for the taking.

Given that a trade for Stafford would cost a lot less, that seems like the most sensible course of action for Indy, and insiders have widely listed them as the favorites to land him. In order to make that happen, however, they’ll have to fend off a handful of teams.

Speaking of which, it might be time for fans to start worrying about the growing smoke behind Stafford’s links to the 49ers.

Anybody else get a little queasy reading that odds list? It’s admittedly pretty strange that the 49ers have the best chance to win the sweepstakes given that Jimmy Garoppolo is under contract for the next two seasons.

Sure, there’s been speculation that he could be traded and his deal makes him a real candidate to be cut (he carries just $2.8 million in dead cap for 2021), but it makes zero sense that San Fran topped this list when they still have their starter on the roster. The Colts, on the other hand, have just one quarterback (2020 fourth-rounder Jacob Eason) on the books for next season.

We understand that the 49ers align with Indy in terms of being a quarterback away from competing for a championship, but their defense has regressed over the last two seasons and their offensive line doesn’t come close in comparison to the Colts’.

https://twitter.com/OurSf49ers/status/1354498813847760896

We maintain the notion that Indianapolis has more to offer Stafford than San Francisco, but trading for him was never going to be easy.

There was always going to be a stubborn, competing market, and right now it looks as though the 32-year-old star will end up on one of these two teams when all is said and done.