Lions QB Matthew Stafford already likes thought of playing for LA Rams

Just days after LA Rams General Manager Les Snead publicly said that there would be a quarterback battle between Jared Goff and back up John Wolford to begin 2021, ESPN’s NFL insider Jeremy Fowler broke the story that would open eyes around the NFL world.

Fowler reported that Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who the team will mutually part ways with this offseason, likes the idea of playing for the LA Rams. It was also reported that the Rams and the Lions front offices have explored trade scenarios. Stafford has a robust trade market, but why the Rams? It starts with a familiar face.

The Detroit Lions hired Rams Director of College Scouting Brad Holmes as their General Manager on January 14th and as his first assignment in his new role is a big one. Holmes worked under Les Snead in Los Angeles and now the two have paired up. Why?

They are working on a franchise-changing move for both organizations. Both Snead and Holmes have a long-standing relationship and getting a deal done is what both parties involved are working towards. It won’t be easy, but nothing a phone or zoom call over coffee can’t fix.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is 32 years old, which is six years older than Rams quarterback Jared Goff and has been frustrated with the Lions organization for quite some time. He felt it was time for a change of scenery. After all, the organization is changing direction, and that means rebuilding from top to bottom.

And so, the Lions front office agreed and both parties involved will work towards a trade. Stafford’s market has had some major interest, reportedly including the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, and San Francisco 49ers. Why? Well, Stafford is a talented quarterback who is an NFL veteran. And you can thank, in part, the success of veteran quarterback Tom Brady at creating a market for the Lions’ veteran quarterback.

Stafford, per Jeremy Fowler’s report, loves the idea of playing in the City of Angels to continue his career. Playing for head coach Sean McVay and his offensive scheme is something that puts a smile on his face.

Making this trade from the barest of details hinging upon familiarity to reality will take time and negotiations. One stipulation the Rams will most likely want in order to make this deal possible is to add ensure Jared Goff is part of any deal. The Rams cannot afford to just straight-up release Goff because it will cost the team approximately $65.2 Million in dead cap space, which the team can certainly not afford to happen.

Trading Goff to the Lions in this instance would only cost the Rams $22.2 million of dead cap space. Also, Brad Holmes knows how successful Jared Goff can be, during his time in LA, where Goff helped lead the team to Super Bowl 53. Goff is essentially a six-year younger version of Stafford.  In theory, the Lions can emerge with Goff, draft picks, and a ton of leverage to renegotiate Goff’s contract into a more team-friendly version.

All in all, a trade right now is just hearsay for the moment, but things can heat up quickly. Les Snead indicated yesterday in a press conference that “Jared Goff is the quarterback of this team, right now” a scripted statement echoed by head coach Sean McVay.

That opened some eyes to the media, the team, and the entire NFL. It was a clear signal that the Rams are taking offers for Goff. The Lions and Brad Holmes are fully aware of the Rams salary cap situation (currently projected in excess of $31 million by Over the Cap.com) so both sides will have to crunch the numbers and dot the lines to see what would work for both sides. In the words of Les Snead, in referencing the future of the quarterback position and moving on from Goff? It “can be done”.