On the eve of the first Sunday without NFL football in some time, the Detroit Lions have pulled the trigger on the highly-anticipated Matthew Stafford trade. It was announced that the Lions would be sending the veteran quarterback to the Los Angeles Rams, in exchange for Jared Goff and some draft picks.
Matthew Stafford Trade
Soon after Dan Campbell was officially introduced as the head coach of the Lions, the team announced that they would trade long-time quarterback Matthew Stafford, ushering in a new era in Detroit.
The San Francisco 49ers were recently rumored to be in the most serious talks for Stafford, but it seems this was only a ploy to get the Rams to offer up more in the trade.
In the end, Stafford’s price was Goff, two future first-round picks and a third-round pick.
Stafford’s Legacy in Detroit
While he certainly was not treated like one by the mainstream media, Stafford is just another superstar to go through the Lions organization without many accolades to show for it. Unlike Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, Stafford got out alive, with a Super Bowl chance still very much alive.
Stafford often gets talked up by other quartersbacks, including league MVP Aaron Rodgers. Numerous times Rodgers has mentioned Stafford was making Patrick Mahomes-like throws before Mahomes was even in college, but he was not getting the recognition for it.
In 12 seasons for the Lions, Stafford has passed for 45,109 yards, which is nearly 30,000 more than the next closest passer Detroit has had. He also wraps up his Lions career with 282 passing touchdowns and 144 interceptions.
