Lions trade Matt Stafford to Rams for Jared Goff and draft picks

Matt Stafford (Wikimedia Commons)

According to ESPN on Saturday, the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams were involved in an historic blockbuster deal in the National Football League. The Lions traded quarterback Matt Stafford of Tampa, Florida to the Rams for quarterback Jared Goff of Novato, California, along with three draft picks. Detroit will be receiving the Rams’ first round draft pick in 2022, first round draft pick in 2023, and a third round draft pick in 2021.

The reason why this trade is historic is because it is the first time that first overall picks in the NFL Draft have been traded for each other. Stafford was the first overall pick out of the University of Georgia in 2009, and Goff was the first overall pick out of the University of California in 2016.

In 16 games this past season for Detroit, Stafford completed 339 of 528 attempts for 4084 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also had 29 carries for 112 yards rushing.

One issue with Detroit was the fact that the Lions’ offense was too one-dimensional. They have simply struggled with their running game ever since the legendary Barry Sanders retired. The inept Lions running game is a reason why Stafford has led the NFL twice in passing attempts, and 435 completions in 2012.

Now with the Rams, Stafford will be important in L.A., but he is not the face of the franchise. That position still belongs to defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who is arguably the best defensive player in the NFL.

When it comes to passing yards, Goff saw his numbers drop from 4638 yards in 2019 to 3952 yards in 2020. Still, he was able to reach the 20-touchdown plateau for the fourth straight season, and have a pass completion percentage of 67% (career-high) in 2020.

One reason for the trade is that it appears the Rams are in a win-now mode, while the Lions are rebuilding. Stafford, who is 32 years of age, is six years older than Goff. To get three draft picks and a quarterback is mighty impressive for new Detroit general manager Brad Holmes.

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