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With no first-round pick in 2021, the Los Angeles Rams had less to offer the Detroit Lions than some other teams for Matthew Stafford, including the Carolina Panthers. And because of that, they had to give Detroit two first-rounders in 2022 and 2023, along with Jared Goff.
But initially, the Lions wanted a much more valuable asset: Aaron Donald.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Lions initially asked the Rams for Donald in their trade for Stafford. Of course, the Rams said no, and the teams decided on another package to get the deal done.
When trade talks began between the Rams and Lions, the first player Detroit requested in a trade for QB Matthew Stafford was DT Aaron Donald, per sources. Rams told Lions, that's not happening, before the two sides later figured out the eventual compensation package. https://t.co/blGUo3f47y
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 7, 2021
There was absolutely no chance the Rams would trade Donald, who just won his third Defensive Player of the Year award. He’s arguably the best defender in the NFL and the most valuable player on the Rams’ roster.
The Rams still gave up a lot to get Stafford, but not as much as giving away Donald would have cost them.