Report: Pro-Bowl Quarterback Shuns the New England Patriots

The New England Patriots have been linked with several names, and head coach Bill Belichick is already making plans on his next quarterback. Well, one particular Pro-Bowl quarterback shared his thoughts on the Patriots.

Matthew Stafford had only one request regarding his potential trade. “Anywhere but New England.” The former No.1 pick will soon sign with a new team. He is not joining the Patriots despite all the rumors out there.

Detroit is dealing QB Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two future first-round picks, a third-round pick and QB Jared Goff, per sources. Two former No. 1 overall picks trading places in the first blockbuster NFL trade of 2021.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2021

The 32-year-old is an excellent quarterback and he has attracted the attention of many coaches throughout the NFL. Patriots fans like the idea of getting him in New England, but Stafford has something else to say on the matter.

Source says that yes, the #Patriots inquired about Matthew Stafford. How far it went beyond that was not made clear to me at this time. At that price, I can't imagine the Pats stayed in for long. @Patriots @AroundTheNFL @nflnetwork

— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) January 31, 2021

Tom Curran from NBC Sports reported on Stafford’s trade.

“And now, for a localized aftershock: Stafford told the Lions they could send him anywhere but New England. This comes from a source whose team was heavily involved in Stafford trade negotiations but failed to land him. Stafford, of course, is a Ram after Los Angeles sent a huge haul to Detroit for the one-time Pro Bowler.“

The Pro-Bowl quarterback ignores the Patriots

What made him say this? Stafford may have few great reasons to shun the Patriots. Henry McKenna from USA Today has an idea.

“Well, Stafford didn’t click with former Lions coach Matt Patricia, who deployed Belichick’s stern and hardworking philosophies, often called The Patriot Way. Perhaps because Patricia failed to stray philosophically from the Patriots, he ended up back with them. They hired him on staff this offseason after the Lions fired him. Again, that might have been a deterrent for Stafford. Finally, Stafford could have looked at New England’s roster and seen a group of pass-catchers devoid of talent. The Patriots have cap space and draft picks to add players this offseason — but it’s unclear who they add and how aggressively they’ll target talent at receiver and tight end.”

Stafford and the Lions agreed to part ways and the Patriots hired Patricia. This is a big “no” for the Pro-Bowl quarterback. Even if Patricia hadn’t got the Patriots job, Stafford might have had the same opinion.