Lions Trade Matthew Stafford to Rams for Jared Goff, Picks
The Detroit Lions are trading quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff and three future draft picks, according to multiple reports.
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.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2021
Sources: The #Lions are closing in on trading franchise QB Matthew Stafford to the #Rams in a blockbuster deal, per me and @TomPelissero. Jared Goff is headed to the #Lions.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 31, 2021
Los Angeles adds their new starting quarterback in the veteran Stafford, while Detroit acquires Goff, a 2021 third-round pick and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 in return.
Selected with the first-overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft, Stafford exits Detroit as the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards (45,109), touchdowns (282), attempts (6,224) and completions (3,898). His 273.4 passing yards per game are the fourth-most in NFL history.
Reports emerged over recent weeks that Stafford and the organization both agreed a divorce would be for the best, and the veteran can now compete for a Super Bowl in Los Angeles.
Those same reports sparked interest in enterprising Pittsburgh Steeler fans, who eyed Stafford as a potential short-term, cheaper replacement for 38-year-old quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
As for Goff, the 26-year-old gets a fresh start in Detroit after optimism regarding his future and four-year, $134 million contract eroded.
Drafted first-overall himself in 2016, Goff excelled in his first two season under head coach Sean McVay, leading the Rams to a pair of division titles and a Super Bowl appearance.
Los Angeles rewarded Goff with his hefty contract following that Super Bowl run, but returns diminished quickly there after, and McVay and the organization were reluctant to commit to the quarterback following his average 2020 season.
Newly-hired Lions general manager Brad Holmes, who analyzed Goff as the Rams’ director of college scouting in 2016, brings a familiar face to Detroit and two future first-round picks in the first blockbuster move of his new gig.
The Rams, on the other hand, now find themselves without a first-round selection until 2024. Through various trades and acquisitions over the last four years, Los Angeles has not had a first-round pick since taking Goff in 2016.
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