By Sean Gannon

Our first of the soon-to-be offseason blockbuster trade has happened! The Detroit Lions have sent over Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Jared Goff, a 2022 first-round pick, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2021 third-round pick. It didn’t appear that McVay and Goff were on the same page after their playoff loss to the Packers, where even reports came out that they would need ‘marriage counseling’ to fix their relationship. No one expected that Stafford could pull in this type of value, but Detroit pulled it off. It’s not often that two former #1 overall picks get traded in the same trade proposal. This is an excellent trade for the Lions, who can now use their draft picks (Lions have five first-rounders in the next three years) to rebuild their team and a substantial trade for the Rams.

The Rams get a great starting quarterback and maintain themselves as playoff contenders while also helping themselves with cap space. Goff would cost them $27.8 million while Stafford’s cap hit is only $20 million, and they get consistency at the quarterback position. Trading Goff also opened $12.7 million dollars more in cap space for them. Matthew Stafford consistently throws for over 4,000 yards and 20 touchdowns, plays through injuries, and has shown that he can and will throw the ball to anyone finding ways to score. This is the best offense Stafford has had since he entered the league with Robert Wood, Cooper Kupp as his two primary receivers and then getting to hand the ball off to Cam Akers. Stafford will operate McVay’s offense and make all the throws they will need him to do; he still has one of the league’s biggest arms. One of the best parts about this trade is Stafford is going to play out the remaining two years of his contract paying him 43 million over that span as he prioritized finding a team and not the extension. Rams will be a team to watch out for once again with their incredible defense and an upgrade at quarterback on their offense.

The Lions, of course, won this trade more. Like mentioned before, they acquired more than anyone would ever guess. Those first-round picks can be spent on playmakers, especially at the wide receiver position, as it looks like Marvin Jones Jr and Kenny Golladay are going to test the market in free agency. Trading Stafford also saves them $14 million in cap space, bringing their total to $15.6 in total cap. Detroit can use those picks to bolster their defense that struggled throughout the 2020 season on all three levels. The only downside to this trade is the downgrade at quarterback and taking on Jared Goff’s contract. He is due more than Stafford and doesn’t produce nearly the same; if he wants to stay in Detroit, restructuring his contract would do him the most help. The Lions still hold the 7^th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and with all the draft capital they just received, they can make a move up for a rookie quarterback or get someone at 7. They could net a third-rounder or lower if they decide to use him as trade bait or package him in a trade. The Lions could use him as a teacher for a year to whomever rookie they draft; maybe they surprise and keep around. It’s just hard to see Goff there for the foreseeable future with his shaky gameplay with a supporting cast and big contract. But whatever Detroit decides to do, they are incredibly pleased with the trade they executed.