Why Lions traded Matthew Stafford to Rams for Jared Goff

Billy Heyen

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Why Lions traded Matthew Stafford to Rams for Jared Goff image

Anytime the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams meet on the field these days, it has a bit of extra narrative to it.

It's Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff, the quarterbacks who were traded for each other, each trying to put on a show in a game that these days normally has pretty high stakes.

Goff said this week that that's a narrative he isn't really concerned with any longer, and that's fair.

It still is interesting to look back at it all and see how things got to this point.

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Jared Goff-Matthew Stafford trade details

The trade was completed in January 2021:

Rams received

  • QB Matthew Stafford

Lions received

  • QB Jared Goff
  • 2022 first-round pick
  • 2023 first-round pick
  • 2021 third-round pick

Detroit turned those picks into Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Jameson Williams and a few solid defenders thanks to a few additional trades.

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Why did the Lions trade Matthew Stafford to the Rams for Jared Goff?

The Lions had decided they needed to rebuild, and getting the draft picks they got for Stafford certainly helped them do that.

It still meant giving up on a franchise legend.

Goff has grown into a better QB in his time in Detroit, so that part of the deal has worked out fine, and to end up with Gibbs, LaPorta and Williams out of it too is a big win.

Stafford, of course, led the Rams to a Super Bowl in his first season. There's no replacing that.

This season, Goff has the Lions in playoff contention again, but Stafford is one of the frontrunners for NFL MVP as he appears to not be affected at all by aging. Sunday's clash should be a doozy.

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Editorial Team