LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Detroit Lions trade quarterback Matthew Stafford for the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff, two future first-round picks and a third-round pick, a person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press.
The person spoke on Saturday evening on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been finalized. ESPN first reported the swap, which will include the Rams’ first round in 2022 and 2023, along with their third round this year.
The blockbuster trade of two novice quarterbacks and former No. 1 overall draft picks will provide a change of scenery for two players who likely need it.
Stafford asked to be traded shortly after the current season ended with the Lions’ third straight double-digit loss record. He was one of the NFL’s most prolific passers-by during his 12-year career that he spent entirely in Detroit, but he has never won a playoff game.
Meanwhile, the Rams’ coaching staff and front office have publicly expressed a clear loss of confidence in Goff in recent weeks, even after Los Angeles earned its third playoff berth and posted its fourth straight winning record during his four years under coach Sean McVay. Goff also led the Rams to the Super Bowl after the 2018 season.
Stafford, who turns 33 in February, has two more years on a five-year $ 135 million contract.
The Lions had several offers for Stafford, and they all included first-round picks, according to another person with direct knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because those details were not announced.
Stafford was notified of the teams looking to take him over, and according to the person, the Rams were one of the franchises he was excited about.
Stafford is new to the Rams, but he already has friends and a place to stay on the west coast: Stafford owns an estate in Newport Coast, and he’s a childhood friend and former high school teammate of Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.
The Rams didn’t immediately confirm the transaction, but their official Twitter account tweeted on Kershaw asking him, “Did you hear from an old friend today?”
The fame of the front offices of these two franchises likely contributed to the tough deal: New Detroit general manager Brad Holmes left his job as the director of scouting for the Rams under Snead earlier this month.
Goff is about to start a four-year $ 134 million contract with a guaranteed $ 110 million – but like his longtime teammate Todd Gurley, he’s leaving the Rams before his massive contract extension even begins.
Goff has been a steady winner since McVay’s arrival, but his high tendency for sales and lack of improvement over the past two seasons has prompted McVay and general manager Les Snead to speak openly about a future without Goff in recent weeks.
Goff was the most recent first-round pick made by the Rams in 2016. Snead has now traded in his top pick or stepped back in seven consecutive drafts, taking bold steps to acquire veteran talent, including All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Stafford leaves downtrodden Detroit and heads to sunny Los Angeles with the chance to take charge of a team that could become a Super Bowl contender next season.
The Rams went 10-6, beating NFC West champions Seattle in the playoffs before losing to Green Bay. Stafford also appears to be a marked upgrade on the main position for McVay, whose reputation as an attacking mastermind has been hit several times over the past two years, while Goff and a stagnant talent pool struggled to execute his plans effectively.
Goff often appeared to be a budding star in his first two seasons under McVay when the Rams were first (2017) and second (2018) in the NFL in points scored, but he hasn’t built on that success. His 38 turnovers in the past two seasons are the second-highest in the NFL, and the Rams’ inconsistent offense was largely borne by the defense this season.
Goff passed for 3,952 yards and 20 touchdowns – his lowest total since his rookie year – with 13 interceptions and six lost fumbles over 15 games last season. He missed the regular season finale with a broken thumb, but returned to play in both postseason-games in Los Angeles.
In the 2020 final, Stafford surpassed the 45,000-yard mark in the 165th game of his career – the fewest games an NFL player needed to reach that total. He threw three touchdown passes in that game against Minnesota, bringing his career total to 282.
Like many of Stafford’s Detroit performances, they were marred by a loss when the Lions dropped to 5-11 for their third consecutive double-digit loss season and his career record dropped to 74-90-1 in the regular season.
Shortly after last season, Stafford asked to be traded and spared from another reconstruction project.
The Lions asked him to wait until they hired a new general manager and coach, but luring Holmes from the Rams to lead the Detroit front office and giving coach Brad Campbell a chance to become head coach again didn’t change that. spirit.
Detroit withdrew the heavily armed Stafford from Georgia in hopes that he could end the Lions’ drought from just one playoff win since winning the NFL title in 1957.
Stafford went on to become one of the NFL’s most prolific quarterbacks, but went 0-3 in the 2011, 2014 and 2016 post-seasons.
Indianapolis, Washington and San Francisco were among the teams believed to have shown serious interest in taking over Stafford, who earned its only Pro Bowl selection in 2014. Goff is a two-time Pro Bowl roster.
Staford was AP’s 2011 Comeback Player of the Year after recovering from an injury-stunted start to his career. He is number 16 on the league’s all-time list with 45,109 yards passing and 282 passing touchdowns.
Playing on a team that was often behind, he led 31 fourth-quarter comebacks in his career and had 38 wins on game-winning drives.
Detroit last year drafted Ohio State corner back Jeff Okudah, No. 3 overall, passing quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert.
The Lions have the No. 7 overall pick this year, and now that they have an experienced quarterback, they can line up a player to up a terrible defense. The Detroit defense set franchise records by allowing 519 points and 6,716 yards last season, breaking the profitless team’s points in 2008 and being among the worst ever in the league.
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AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Detroit contributed to this report.
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