The Los Angeles Rams made headlines with their decision to trade quarterback Jared Goff and two first-round picks to the Detroit Lions in exchange for quarterback Matthew Stafford at the beginning of the offseason
Although Goff had once been the prized No. 1 pick for the Rams following relocation, his underwhelming play during the 2020 NFL season led to further speculation regarding his uncertain future. While the decision may have come earlier than most expected, it was hardly surprising to those outside of the organization.
However, it seems that was not the case for players within the franchise like defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Regardless, it seems even he is looking forward to what is to come.
Donald admitted that he was surprised by the move before expressing his excitement to have a quarterback of Stafford’s caliber taking over, via Nick Shook of NFL.com:
“I’m pretty sure everybody was shocked by it,” Donald said during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. “But Stafford’s a great quarterback. I’m excited about having him with the team, a veteran guy that knows the game, that’s been playing the game at a high level for a long time. It was a business decision that the Rams organization chose to make. I will always love Goff, that’s my brother forever, but I guess things didn’t work out how they wanted to, so they made a change.”
Donald added that Goff still has a bright future ahead of him despite all that went down:
“I think there’s a lot of things that were said. Once you’re the starting QB, if things ain’t going how it’s supposed to go, you’re going to be talked about a lot,” Donald explained of Goff’s final months in Los Angeles. “I will never say nothing bad about Goff, that’s my brother. Always gonna keep in contact with him, always gonna talk.
“I wish nothing but the best for him in Detroit. We ain’t gonna worry about the negativity that’s talked about. He’s got a bright future ahead of him, a fresh start and hopefully he’ll do great things there.”
Donald’s comments are indicative of the type of bond this core group of players has established since coming to Los Angeles. Even if the offense was going through its fair share of struggles during their 2020 campaign, it was never enough to cause any kind of rift in the locker room.
Of course, Donald’s excitement for Stafford’s arrival is certainly understandable considering the latter’s body of work through the years. Having a bonafide gunslinger under center in head coach Sean McVay’s system should pay huge dividends for the offense as a whole.
Stafford now joins a team with high expectations after going his whole career without a postseason win. Meanwhile, Goff will be tasked with leading the rebuilding Lions out of their slump.
