Detroit Lions give Matthew Stafford to Jared Goff for Los Angeles Rams, according to sources

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is on his way to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff and a multitude of draft pickers, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Lions will get a third-round pick in 2021, a first-round pick in 2022 and a first-round pick in 2023 in what is the first exchange of former overall no. 1 choices in the general draft era (since 1967). The deal can only be made official before the start of the new league year on March 17.

Following the news of the trade, the Rams’ Super Bowl odds for the 2021 season moved from +1800 to +1500 in William Hill’s Caesars Sportsbook.

This is the first big step of the new Lions general manager, Brad Holmes, who was hired by the Rams earlier this month, for whom he was the director of the university’s reconnaissance. This was the role of Holmes when the Rams won the no. Exchanged 15 picks to make Goff first in the 2016 NFL draft. It made a splash in their return to LA after 21 seasons in St. Louis. The Rams will only make a first choice again in 2024.

A source told ESPN that the Lions were interested in seven or eight teams offering the first round as compensation for Stafford. While the deal with Goff will not necessarily prevent the Lions from taking a quarter in this year’s draft, Goff told ESPN’s Jeff Darlington on Saturday night that he has spoken to new Lions coach Dan Campbell and that Campbell made it clear through his message that Goff is in the Lions’ future plans.

Asked Detroit’s final game of the 2020 season whether he thinks it’s his last game with the Lions, Stafford said he does not want to end up in hypothetical situations. Shortly after the season ended, Stafford went to Rod Wood, the Lions team president, and mentioned that a deal could be best for both parties.

Stafford, 32, will leave Detroit as the team’s provisional leader in every category that passes. He is number 16 all-time in the NFL passing yard (45,109) and past the touchdowns (282), no. 18 in Attempts (6,224) and no. 14 in completions (3,898). His career record of 89.9 is number 21 all-time, and his 144 interceptions equals number 66 by Joe Flacco and Steve Bartkowski.

Stafford are number 4 on the running yards per game (273.4), just behind Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees and Andrew Luck. He is also second all-time behind Luck in attempts per game (37.7) and is fourth in completions per game (23.6) behind Brees, Mahomes and Matt Ryan.

Stafford is in the league as the overall number 1 in the 2009 draft from Georgia, and immediately becomes Detroit’s appetizer. Injuries, including a torn shoulder, hampered his first two seasons in the NFL, but he has started with eight games for Detroit since the start of the 2011 season.

When he had to miss the last eight games of the 2019 season due to broken bones in his back, it ended a series of 136 consecutive endings – at the time being the sixth longest consecutive starting lineup for a quarter in NFL history.

Stafford has dealt with a multitude of ailments over the years, including injuries to his ribs, ankle and right thumb last season. He also played in 2018 with, among other things, fractures in his back and a proximal interphalangeal joint dislocation of the middle finger of his throwing hand.

While the Lions have never won the NFC North with Stafford as their fullback, he has kept them largely competitive over the past decade as the first draft of the team after Detroit’s 0-16 season in 2008. Stafford had eight seasons of 4 000 meters or more and a 5,038 yard season in 2011, when he also hit a career high of 41. Stafford has thrown at least 20 touches in every full season of his career – and also at least ten interceptions.

Stafford already has friends and a place to sleep on the West Coast: Stafford owns an estate in Newport Coast, southeast of Los Angeles in Orange County, and he is a childhood friend and former high school teammate of longtime Dodgers bait Clayton Kershaw.

Although the Rams did not confirm the deal, their official Twitter account tweeted at Kershaw, asking him, “Did you hear from an old friend today?”

Stafford has won just five of its 16 games against its new divisions in the NFC West. Goff, meanwhile, won four of six against the NFC North.

Goff, who turned 26 in October, is leaving LA after five seasons, including four under Rams coach Sean McVay, and with a 42-27 record. He started seven undefeated as a rookie under former coach Jeff Fisher, before the Rams appointed McVay, who was known for his offensive skill and ability to develop backs. McVay and Goff flourished together in their first two seasons, and they won a rugby title and an NFC championship.

The Rams granted Goff a $ 134 million four-year extension, guaranteeing $ 110 million after leading the Rams to a Super Bowl LIII appearance. However, the offense never looked the same again after a 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, as the Rams have fallen from a top-scoring team to an average unit over the past two seasons.

Issues between Goff and McVay became apparent during the 2020 season, despite a 10-6 record. After a 23-20 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 12, McVay publicly called the quarterback for three turnovers and demanded that the issue improve. Over the past two seasons, Goff has finished second in the NFL with 38 turnovers.

McVay decided to start a free agent John Wolford in a playoff game with the Seattle Seahawks, although Goff told his coach he would be 12 days off from his work thumb. Wolford was forced to leave the game in the first quarter due to a neck injury, and Goff, the only available backup, passed for 155 yards and scored a power play in the 30-20 victory. After the game, Goff expressed disappointment that he did not start.

A week later, in a division playoff game with the Green Bay Packers, McVay had to be forced by his neck to start Goff with Wolford on the sidelines. Goff passes for 174 yards and passes in a 32-18 loss.

After the Packers game, when asked if Goff was his quarterback, McVay said, “Yeah, he’s our quarterback now.”

Earlier this week, Rams general manager Les Snead did not give a public statement of confidence to Goff when asked several times about the future of the quarter at the Rams.

“If we go from Jared Goff, it’s … the money we invested in him, it’s not easy to overcome,” Snead said, adding later that ‘anything can be done’ in ‘ a hood system.

The Lions tackle the Rams next season at SoFi Stadium.

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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