Peter King: 5 Teams Or More Expected to Offer 1st-Round Pick for Matt Stafford

King: Expect 5 teams or more to offer 1st rounder for Stafford originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Washington might want to trade for Lions veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, but there will be serious competition.

Speaking with The Junkies on Thursday morning, NBC Sports' Peter King said he expects to see a number of teams make significant offers for Stafford.

From King:

I believe that there will be probably more than five teams that will offer at least a first-round pick for Stafford. Everybody is kinda handing him preliminarily now to Indianapolis, which is very, very logical and Indianapolis knows how to make a deal. Chris Ballard, to me, is one of the 1-2-3 best young GMs in football. But it’s probably gonna take more than the 21st pick in the draft to get Stafford and that’s what Indianapolis has right now. It’s the same thing with Washington. I think it’ll take more than one high draft choice to get him. Now, it’s another thing if you look at other teams that are picking higher in the draft. Let’s say, Dallas, even though I don’t think it’ll be them but 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, but again we don’t know how much competition there’s going to be for Matthew Stafford.

Washington's first-round pick this year comes at No. 19, which isn't sexy and would fall behind New England at 15 as King mentioned on the show. Other teams that could need a quarterback have higher draft picks too, like Denver at No. 9 and the 49ers at No. 12.

There are also teams behind Washington in the draft that could want Stafford.

The Colts have been established as the frontrunner to trade for the Lions passer, but they draft 21st. Pittsburgh and New Orleans could need a new QB too, and those teams draft 24th and 28th, respectively.

Could that mean Washington has to offer more than a first-rounder to land Stafford? Seems likely if there is so much more competition. What that means - additional picks or perhaps players - remains to be seen.

One factor that could complicate the Stafford situation is Houston QB Deshaun Watson officially requesting a trade.

Watson is only 25 and is coming off an elite season. He will be the higher target for QB-needy teams on the trade market. It's possible the market for Stafford doesn't settle until Watson is moved.

The flip side could be true too: a team could make the move for Stafford sooner to lock in an established high-quality starter before the crazy bidding starts for Watson.

The NFL offseason is all about measuring knowns against unknowns.

Washington needs a new quarterback in 2021, that's known.

Who will it be? That's unknown.

Stafford seems a very logical target, but it won't be easy to get done.