LA Rams Goff-Stafford trade: Way too soon winners and losers
By Jay Blucher
Who won this trade?
Well, one of the clear winners in this deal has to be Matthew Stafford. He pushed the ‘trade me’ button, and it resulted in a dialogue with the team, a responsible and objective means of NFL teams that wanted his services to bid for him, and the Detroit Lions accepting the highest valued trade package in their assessment to trade Stafford.
Of course, Stafford is a veteran quarterback who wanted an opportunity to play for an NFL team that can compete for the NFL Championship. Right now the LA Rams appear to be exactly that. Of all the teams that are on the books that have made offers for Stafford, the Rams were the most accomplished team in 2020. Winner: Matthew Stafford
Of course, the LA Rams set their sights on trading for Matthew Stafford and were willing to give up Jared Goff and a lot more. Time will tell if they were wise to do so. But judging at this early vantage point leaves just one conclusion: The LA Rams won the bidding war for quarterback Matthew Stafford. Winner: LA Rams
The Detroit Lions entered the 2021 offseason with a host of needs and a game plan unlikely to turn the ship around in one year. But they had a solid plan. Getting younger at quarterback, adding draft picks, and fundamentally improving the team over the next two years to be in a position to claim the top spot in the NFC North when Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers retires. They did all of that, and have a Super Bowl quarterback to boot. They are lined up to make a run in the NFC North now. Winner: Detroit Lions
Jared Goff is the outlier in all of this. He was good enough not to fail, but not good enough to win it all. Or was it all just a matter of youth and inexperience? Does Goff simply need more time developing than the LA Rams were willing to give him? Most elite NFL quarterbacks take five years to mature to that highest standard, and Jared Goff is just now entering that chapter of his career. Of course, it comes down to what he makes of this new opportunity in Detroit. He is no longer playing in the shadow of head coach Sean McVay. But will he recapture his confidence? Incomplete: Jared Goff