Dan Campbell calls Matthew Stafford trade talks “hot and heavy”

[Roary]

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Lions coach Dan Campbell says Matthew Stafford trade talks are heading up.

Campbell told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press that Stafford talks have gotten “hot and heavy.” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds that a trade is expected to be agreed upon before the Super Bowl, although the trade can’t actually be consummated until the start of the league year in March.

The Lions and Stafford mutually agreed that Stafford will be traded, and the only remaining question is where he will go and how much the Lions will get back. The team is seeking at least a first-round draft pick.

Once Stafford is traded, the Lions begin the long process of rebuilding a team that is near the bottom of the league in terms of its overall talent level right now. The good news for the Lions is that they’ll be rebuilding with a healthy amount of cap space and draft picks. Campbell and new General Manager Brad Holmes should have the ammunition to turn things around.