The first domino of the upcoming quarterback market has fallen.
The Detroit Lions have agreed to trade quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two future first-round picks, a third-round pick and Jared Goff. This marks a trade between a pair of former first-overall selections.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the deal:
Detroit is dealing QB Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two future first-round picks, a third-round pick and QB Jared Goff, per sources. Two former No. 1 overall picks trading places in the first blockbuster NFL trade of 2021.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2021
The move, from the Rams’ perspective, might have been foreshadowed. When Goff suffered a thumb injury at the end of the season, Sean McVay turned to John Wolford to start the Rams’ Wild-Card game against the Seattle Seahawks. McVay was forced to turn back to Goff when Wolford suffered an injury early in the game, but it was clear that McVay was frustrated with inconsistencies from Goff’s performance.
Now he gets to work with Stafford, who continues to flash upper-tier traits at the position but never truly broke through with the Lions in Detroit.
From the Lions’ point-of-view, they get additional draft capital as they work to implement a culture change, one that began with hiring Brad Holmes as their new general manager. Where was Holmes prior to landing in Detroit? In Los Angeles, as the Rams’ Director of College Scouting. One of the picks the Rams made during his tenure?
Goff.