Late Wednesday evening, WDIV-TV reported that sources close to Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions indicated that trade talks for Detroit's franchise quarterback have been underway for the past few weeks.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn responded Thursday to a text message from Detroit Free Press Lions beat writer Dave Birkett, who inquired about the validity of the rumors.

"100% False!!," Quinn told the Free Press.

Rumors of Stafford being traded have been circulating since the end of the season.

ESPN NFL analyst Bart Scott said during a segment on ESPN morning show "Get Up" that Stafford should be traded to the Patriots.

During Super Bowl week, reports again surfaced that the Lions were interested in moving on from Stafford.

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is an intriguing player in this year's draft.

If healthy, he could draw strong interest from teams looking to find their next franchise quarterback.

Teams like the Chargers, Dolphins and Raiders could all be interested in moving up to select a franchise quarterback.

As a result of the success of teams building around younger quarterbacks that don't cost much against the cap, teams have been willing to make trades to move up in the draft order in recent memory.

Tagovailoa is expected to be healthy enough to showcase his skills before the draft.

And Detroit is in prime position to select him if it chooses to do so.

If there is the belief that Stafford could be traded, it would indicate to some that Detroit may be the team that takes Tagovailoa; thus, driving up the demand for the No. 3 pick.

Whether or not Stafford will be traded is bound to dominate offseason discussions, but at least the conversation is being had regarding the most important position on the field.

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