Rams trade for Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff to Lions: Grading the trade for both teams

The Rams have traded for quarterback Matthew Stafford, sending Jared Goff and a load of draft picks to the Lions. Grading the trade for both teams.

Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff are both on the move and in the same trade. In the biggest blockbuster move that we’ve seen in quite some time, the Los Angeles Rams will acquire Stafford from the Detroit Lions in exchange for two future first-round picks, a third-round pick and Goff. The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Just last week, it was reported that Stafford and the Lions had reached the decision to part ways and the franchise would pursue a trade. Given the ability of the former No. 1 overall pick and the fact that he still has plenty of life left in his arm, there were plenty of suitors. And it appeared that trade talks were really heating up on Saturday leading up to this blockbuster.

The connection to the Rams and Goff should have been obvious in that respect. Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay and the front office were evaluating the future of another former top-overall pick and seemingly ready to move on. With the aggressive nature of the LA front office, we should’ve seen the writing on the wall.

Now the deal is agreed upon, though, with a huge shake-up now taking place in the NFC. So with Matthew Stafford heading to the Rams and Jared Goff joining the Lions along with a bevy of draft capital, let’s grade this trade for both teams.

Los Angeles Rams trade grade: B+

The Los Angeles Rams really hate first-round picks. They have to send future first-rounders to the Lions because their selection in 2021 is owed to the Jaguars as part of the Jalen Ramsey trade. But while that may be the case in terms of building for the future, this is a sensible move for LA.

In the simplest terms, the Rams are a roster that is constructed to win a Super Bowl right now. And it’s become clear over the past two seasons that Sean McVay doesn’t believe that Goff is the quarterback capable of getting them to that ultimate goal. So they had to move on and quickly upgrade; this move accomplishes that.

Granted, Stafford has no postseason track record but that likely speaks more towards the Lions than the quarterback. Put under the tutelage of McVay and with the best supporting cast on both sides of the ball that he’s ever had, the former No. 1 overall pick should be motivated and primed for some of the best years of his career and a playoff run to boot.

So yes, it’s a costly move for the Rams. But given their unique position, it’s one that’s well worth it.

Detroit Lions trade grade: A+

For as good of a trade as this is for the Rams, it’s even better for the Lions. When the decision was agreed upon that Stafford was going to be moved this offseason, they were signaling that it was time to hit reset. There is no better way to accomplish that than to have a boatload of valuable draft picks.

They land those picks in this trade. Detroit is now in position where they could potentially select a top-10 quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft this year and then letting him sit and develop for a year behind Goff. Or perhaps they could use this season to see if they can find something in Goff that the Rams couldn’t quite unlock and then re-evaluate when they have multiple first-round picks after this year.

In any case, the Lions needed the ammunition to fill out a winning roster beyond the quarterback position. And with a veteran signal-caller they were ready to part ways with, to get this kind of hall is an absolute win for the franchise as they can now truly start to rebuild in a major way.