Matthew Stafford's Future with Lions Not Guaranteed by New GM Brad Holmes

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes praised quarterback Matthew Stafford at his introductory press conference Tuesday but did not commit to the 12-year veteran's long-term future in Michigan, noting that he had to evaluate the entire team.

"Matthew, great player," Holmes said, via Justin Rose of WXYZ. "You appreciate how intangibles show on film, but it is my job to evaluate the entire roster. I have not had any discussions with Matthew or any player."

Holmes has been on the job for just five days, and he's tasked with overhauling a team that has gone 8-23-1 in the past two years.

He has a lot of work ahead of him to evaluate the team, ranging from Stafford to the 53rd man on the roster, so it wasn't surprising to see him offer a more reserved answer regarding any of the personnel at this juncture.

Stafford, who the Lions took No. 1 overall in the 2009 draft, completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 26 touchdowns and 7.7 passing yards per attempt. He started all 16 games for the ninth time in 10 seasons and largely excelled despite missing No. 1 wideout Kenny Golladay for 11 games due to injury.

On one hand, Stafford looks like he has at least a few years left in his prime, and he certainly isn't at fault for the Lions sporting the No. 32 scoring defense in football last year.

On the other hand, the ex-Georgia star turns 33 years old in February, and the Lions own the seventh overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. They could be in position to grab a signal-caller of the future if they so choose and trade Stafford for assets as part of a larger rebuild for a team that hasn't won a playoff game since 1991.

Still, Stafford has largely been exceptional (and underrated) in Detroit, so seeing him stick around wouldn't be a shock by any means. Regardless, Holmes, head coach Dan Campbell and the rest of the front office and coaches have work to do to pilot the last-place Lions back into postseason contention.