The San Francisco 49ers could be looking to replace quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason. At least one report gives the impression that the 49ers have a good chance to land Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions.

Former NFL wide receiver turned NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin joined 95.7 The Game on Wednesday and was asked about Stafford. Does he feel that the Lions quarterback is an upgrade over what the 49ers have now in Garoppolo?


"I do think Stafford would be an upgrade over [Garoppolo]," Irvin told Damon Bruce, Ray Ratto, and Matt Kolsky. "Now, the question on what you would give to get him is a tough question because it's two parts. What is his ability, but also what is his demand? Who else out there wants him, and how badly do they want him? You see what I mean?"

NFL insider Ian Rapoport said on Wednesday that nearly a third of the teams in the NFL have reached out to the Lions to inquire about Stafford, so there could be competition for him. The question becomes what that competition is willing to offer for a player who will turn 33 years old on Super Bowl Sunday.

"There are some teams that I'm sure will go after Stafford," Irvin continued. "Stafford's known as a very good quarterback in this league, so there are some teams that will go after Stafford. So you would have to measure up against those teams. But I do think it would be somewhat of an upgrade (over Garoppolo)."

Availability has to factor into any decision the 49ers might make on Garoppolo. While injuries have plagued both quarterbacks in recent years, Stafford has been more available than Garoppolo. Garoppolo has missed 23 games over the past three seasons. Stafford has missed eight during the last 10 years, all of which came in 2019, and is coming off his eighth season of surpassing 4,000 passing yards.

Irvin added that he trusts head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch to do the right thing in evaluating their quarterback situation and making the correct move for the franchise. Irvin feels the coach-GM duo is amongst the best in the league.


"I think they're the best two working together and getting things done and knowing what they want to get done," Irvin shared. "I told you guys what I think of Kyle, and I love John Lynch to death. I just texted him that the other day. He texted me back the same thing yesterday. He's just an incredible, incredible dude.

"[Shanahan] sees better than all of us see. He knows the things he wants to get done with his offense.

"Now, there are two things in there, though. Because of age — Stafford has some years on him, but he has some years left — do you say, 'OK, yes, let's definitely bring Stafford in. We'll bring Stafford in, but we've still got to look for that next guy. So if we bring in a Stafford, we've still got to look for that next guy. If we go bring in a Watson, we've already got our next guy.'"

It was announced on Thursday morning that Deshaun Watson had officially requested a trade by the Houston Texans. It is unknown how the Texans will respond to that request. Watson has a no-trade clause in his contract, giving him the power to approve or deny any potential trade destination.

H/t to Alex Espinoza of NBC Sports for the find.

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