QB Stafford goes on Reserve/COVID-19 list

DETROIT — Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, although the former Georgia Bulldog player’s wife Kelly said on social media he tested negative.

It was the second straight day the team gave a player the designation. The Reserve/ COVID-19 list was created for players who either test positive or have been in close contact with an infected person.

The Lions announced Stafford’s status Wednesday after practice. Earlier in the day, coach Matt Patricia said there was no requirement to shut down the team’s training facility, as some NFL teams have done when players or staff members test positive for COVID-19. “There’s no need for any of that,” Patricia said. “I can’t speak to the future.

“Everybody across the country, especially in Michigan right now, with the cases going up, really no one knows what the next day is going to look like. We just have to do the best we can to stay safe.”

The Lions put linebacker Jarrad Davis on the list Tuesday. Detroit (3-4) plays at Minnesota (2-5) on Sunday, and Stafford’s status is unknown.

Stafford’s backups are Chase Daniel and David Blough. The 34-year-old Daniel has started five games in his career. Blough started five games last year with the Lions after they acquired the undrafted rookie from the Cleveland Browns.

Three months ago, the Lions removed Stafford from the COVID-19 list after saying he received a false positive test result. The news received a lot of attention in part because his wife had surgery last year to remove a brain tumor. Kelly Stafford had plenty to say on Instagram in August after the false positive test, lashing out at the NFL for publicly putting her husband on the list.

Detroit drafted Stafford No. 1 overall in 2009. He ranks No. 18 in league history with nearly 43,000 passing yards and No. 18 with 269 touchdown passes.