The Los Angeles Rams made waves in the NFL when they reportedly sent Jared Goff and multiple picks to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Matthew Stafford, marking the first blockbuster trade of the offseason.
It was the perfect storm of events as Stafford and the Lions mutually agreed to part ways, while head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead were noncommittal when asked about Goff’s future with the Rams. Now, Stafford heads to Los Angeles where he will presumably get his best shot to compete for a Super Bowl.
Stafford’s time with the Lions was marred by poor roster construction and incompetent defensive units, and it was only a matter of time before he asked out. The signal caller is better than his career record would indicate and now finally gets a chance to show what he can do on a more talented team like the Rams.
Stafford made it known early that he saw L.A. as a viable landing spot, but according to Tom Curran of NBC Sports, he would have been happy to get traded anywhere except to the New England Patriots:
And now, for a localized aftershock: Stafford told the Lions they could send him anywhere but New England.
This comes from a source whose team was heavily involved in Stafford trade negotiations but failed to land him. Stafford, of course, is a Ram after Los Angeles sent a huge haul to Detroit for the one-time Pro Bowler.
There are several possible reasons why Stafford wanted to avoid New England, but the primary one may have been the ties his former head coach Matt Patricia has to the franchise. Patricia served under Bill Belichick as his defensive coordinator and returned to his sideline after being let go in Detroit, something Stafford probably considered a dealbreaker.
Whatever reasons Stafford had for wanting to avoid New England, they are moot as he is now in Los Angeles and will get the opportunity to play in a more creative offense under McVay. Stafford always had to carry the Lions with his arm talent, but now gets the luxury of being able to hand off to Cam Akers or allow Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp to create after the catch.
The Rams offense should be much improved during the 2021 NFL season and if the defense remains elite then Stafford could be looking at his first deep postseason run.
