Getty Matthew Stafford playing in 2021 against the Vikings.
The Detroit Lions have agreed to make a bold move with Matthew Stafford, reportedly shipping the quarterback to the Los Angeles Rams for a pick haul as well as Jared Goff.
Reactions have been flooding in after the trade was revealed to be agreed upon, and at least one analyst thinks the Lions made out in a big way. Rob Parker of Fox Sports was asked his reaction to the big trade on Twitter, and as he said, he thinks the Lions won the deal hands down.
The reason? Parker doesn’t think Stafford is all that talented, and his numbers are hollow. After the trade was revealed, Parker was shocked that any Rams fans could want Stafford over Goff given what the two have accomplished to this point in their careers.
There’s no question Stafford is a talented player, but his resume does have some holes. Is that more due to Detroit and their organizational dysfunction, or the quarterback himself? That’s been the question that has plagued Lions and their fans for the last few seasons. Some believe Stafford merely pads his stats and cannot win the big game. He’ll have a chance to prove that wrong once and for all in 2021.
Regardless of what’s true, both Goff and Stafford have the chance to re-set their careers at key points. Interestingly enough, they’ll play in 2021, so a small bit of this could be decided at that point in time.
Lions Agreed to Massive Matthew Stafford Trade With Rams
Saturday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Lions were trading Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff, two future first-round picks and a third-round pick.
Detroit is dealing QB Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two future first-round picks, a third-round pick and QB Jared Goff, per sources. Two former No. 1 overall picks trading places in the first blockbuster NFL trade of 2021.
Stafford, reports indicated, had preferred to land in Los Angeles, so the move helps him out as well as Brad Holmes’ former team when it will become official in the new league year in March. For Detroit, the Lions get a young quarterback who is still in his prime as well as multiple first round picks, which can only help the Lions in their restructure.
Now that Stafford is in Los Angeles, he will get his ready-made contender and should be able to have a great chance at winning. Goff will join a young team that isn’t devoid of weaponry and could also be better than many think in 2021 though most consider the Lions to be in the midst of a rebuild. Goff was far from terrible in 2020 with 3,952 yards and 20 touchdowns through the air.
What Lions Get With Jared Goff
Detroit isn’t just getting a pair of first-round draft picks and a third-round pick, they are getting a quarterback who was in the Super Bowl just two years ago. Goff, a former top pick himself in 2016 out of Cal, has been a dependable player who has won plenty of big games in his career in the rough and tumble NFC West. So far, he’s thrown 107 touchdowns, 55 interceptions, 18,171 yards and has been a two-time Pro Bowler in 2017 and 2018.
Obviously, Goff has had a better defense to work with than Stafford, which has obviously helped him big time. Still, it’s hard to ignore some of the impressive wins he has been able to put together. Just this postseason, the Rams won a huge road game against the Seattle Seahawks in which Goff was pressed into duty with a thumb injury and delivered a solid performance when the team needed him the most.
Many may even think Goff has a bit more upside than Stafford at this point in their careers.
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