The Lions haven't had much trouble drumming up interest in Matthew Stafford. They've reportedly heard from a third of the NFL since placing their franchise QB on the trade block last weekend.
Now it's matter of setting the price. With only five selections in this year's draft at the outset of what looks like a substantial rebuild, the Lions will be hungry for more picks.
A first-rounder feels like the starting point. Stafford has played some of the best football of his career the past two seasons and he's got two years remaining on a contract that places him in the middle of the pack at his position in terms of salary.
Whether the Lions can incite a legitimate bidding war for Stafford might depend on what the Texans decide to do with Deshaun Watson. Watson would immediately become the best QB on the market. Either way, No. 9 should net at least a No. 1 for Detroit.
"There will be probably more than five teams that will offer at least a first-round pick for Stafford," Peter King of NBC Sports told Washington DC's 106.7 The Fan on Thursday.
Two of Stafford's most logical landing spots are Washington and Indianapolis. They pick 19th and 21st, respectively, in this year's draft. A late first-rounder might not be enough, especially when another potential suitor in San Francisco could offer the 13th pick.
"It's probably going to take more than the 21st pick in the draft to get Stafford, and that’s what Indianapolis has right now," said King. "It’s the same thing with Washington. I think it’ll make more than one high draft choice now.
"Now, it’s another thing if you look at other teams that are picking higher in the draft. The teams that are picking higher -- New England at 15 -- when push comes to shove, will that be enough: a pick between 10 and 15? My gut says yes."
Ultimately, it comes down to how many teams view Stafford as a game-changer -- and how they view him compared to the other quarterbacks who might be on the market.
"We don’t know how much competition there is going to be for Stafford," said King. "After that, you get into the tier-two guys who could be available, like Jared Goff or Teddy Bridgewater. Then we start to see whether there is going to be a market for guys like Bridgewater and Goff, or whether everybody is just going to try to go all in and then drive the market up on a guy like Matthew Stafford."