Rams, Matthew Stafford badly wanted each other

The Detroit Lions were reportedly motivated to trade Matthew Stafford before the Super Bowl with Josina Anderson tweeting on Saturday morning that the team was hoping a “sucker” would “overpay.”

Agree that they are a “sucker” or not, the LA Rams came away with Stafford by Saturday evening, trading two firsts, a third, and Jared Goff in exchange for the veteran quarterback. Peter Schrager, who worked closely with the Rams in 2020 and had a weekly podcast with Sean McVay, said that the head coach “fell in love with Stafford” (clearly) and that he is “over the moon” that the front office managed to acquire him.

Similarly, Anderson reported that a league source told her that an offer by the Washington Football Team for Stafford “was better,” though that is merely a matter of opinion from how it reads. In any case, the Lions did give up Stafford without receiving a 2021 first or second round pick in return. Presumably, most any other team in the league could have offered a 2021 first or second round pick in any package for Stafford.

Per Schrager, Stafford was also eager to play for McVay, which may have played into Detroit’s decision to send him to his preferred destination. The Lions will be taking on considerable cap considerations and future roster bonuses in acquiring Goff, another significant boon to what LA managed to do in this trade. But new Lions general manager Brad Holmes, formerly of the Rams front office until recently, may have also been motivated to maintain a healthy relationship with such an aggressive organization.

In any case, it appears that the Rams got the QB they wanted and Stafford went to the team and coach he wanted to play for.