LOS ANGELES (AP) – Detroit Lions trade quarterback Matthew Stafford at the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff, two upcoming first-round picks and a third-round pick, says a person with knowledge of the deal for the Associated Press .
The person spoke on condition of anonymity on Saturday night because the deal was not completed. ESPN first reported the exchange, which will include Rams’ first-round pick in 2022 and 2023, along with this year’s third-round pick.
The blockbuster transaction of two starting defenders and the former draft No. 1 variants will provide a change of scenery for two players who probably need him.
Stafford asked to be traded shortly after the current season ended, with the third consecutive double-digit loss from the Lions. He was one of the NFL’s most prolific passers-by during his 12-year career spent entirely in Detroit, but he never won a game in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, coaching staff and the Rams office have publicly expressed a clear loss of confidence in Goff. in recent weeks, even after Los Angeles won third place in the playoffs and set its fourth consecutive winning record in four years under Sean McVay. Goff also led the Rams to the Super Bowl after the 2018 season.
Stafford, who turns 33 in February, has two more years with a $ 135 million five-year contract.
The Lions had several offers for Stafford and all included first-round picks, according to another person with direct knowledge of the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because those details were not announced.
Stafford was aware of the teams that wanted to buy it, and Rams was one of the franchises he was excited to join, according to the person.
Stafford is new to the Rams, but already has friends and a place to live on the West Coast: Stafford owns an estate in Newport Coast and is a childhood friend and former Dodgers high school teammate, Clayton Kershaw.
Rams did not immediately confirm the transaction, but their official Twitter account sent Twitter to Kershaw, asking, “Have you heard of an old friend today?”
The familiarity of the front offices of these two franchises probably helped with the difficult understanding: Detroit’s new CEO, Brad Holmes, has just left his job as director of college research under Snead earlier this month.
Goff is set to start a four-year, $ 134 million, $ 110 million guaranteed contract – but, like longtime teammate Todd Gurley, he leaves the Rams before he even starts. and his huge contract extension.
Goff has been a steady winner since McVay’s arrival, but his high penchant for turnover and lack of improvement over the past two seasons has led McVay and CEO Les Snead to speak openly about a future without Goff in recent weeks.
Goff was the Rams’ most recent first-round pick in 2016. Snead changed his top option or moved back into seven straight drafts, making bold moves to gain veteran talent, including All-Pro quarterback Jalen Ramsey .
Stafford leaves Detroit, stopped, and heads to sunny Los Angeles, with the chance to take control of a team that could be a competitor in the Super Bowl next season.
The Rams went 10-6 and defeated NFC West champion Seattle in the playoffs before losing to Green Bay. Stafford also looks like a clear upgrade to the top spot for McVay, whose offensive brain reputation has received several hits in the past two years, while Goff and a stagnant group of talent in the qualifying position have strived to execute his schemes efficiently.
Goff frequently appeared to be a rising star in his first two seasons under McVay, when the Rams ranked first (2017) and second (2018) in the NFL in scoring points, but did not build on that success. The 38 turnovers in the last two seasons are the second highest in the NFL, and Rams’ inconsistent offense has been largely carried this season by his defense.
Goff went for 3,952 yards and 20 touchdowns – his lowest total since the start of the year – with 13 interceptions and six hits lost in 15 games last season. He missed the regular season finale with a broken thumb, but returned to play in both Los Angeles post-season games.
By the end of 2020, Stafford had surpassed the 45,000-meter mark in his 165th career game – the fewest games an NFL player needed to reach that total. He threw three touchdown passes in that game against Minnesota, raising his career total to 282.
Like many of Stafford’s achievements in Detroit, they were affected by a loss as the Lions fell to 5-11 in the final season of the third consecutive season of double-digit losses and his career record fell to 74-90. -1 in the regular season.
Shortly after last season, Stafford asked to be changed and exempted from another reconstruction project.
The Lions asked him to wait until they hired a new general manager and coach, but luring Holmes from the Rams to head the Detroit office and offering coach Brad Campbell of the New Orleans Saints to be head coach again did not change. -I’m lying.
Detroit withdrew its heavily armed Stafford from Georgia, hoping to end the Lions’ drought for a single playoff victory since winning the 1957 NFL title.
Stafford became one of the NFL’s most productive defenders, but won 0-3 in the 2011, 2014 and 2016 postseason.
Indianapolis, Washington and San Francisco were among several teams believed to have expressed serious interest in acquiring Stafford, who won their only Pro Bowl selection in 2014. Goff is twice the Pro Bowl selection.
Staford was the Returned Player of the Year AP in 2011 after returning from an early career that caused injuries. He is ranked 16th on the league’s all-time list, with 45,109 yards and 282 touchdowns.
Playing for a team that was often behind, he led 31 comebacks in the fourth quarter of his career and scored 38 wins with winning units.
Detroit picked Jeff Okudah, the Ohio state defender, last year in 3rd place overall, beating defenders Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert.
The Lions picked the No. 7 overall this year, and now that they have a veteran defender, they can recruit a player to improve on a terrible defense. The Detroit defense set franchise records, allowing 519 points and 6,716 yards last season, surpassing the points set by his team without a win in 2008 and ranking among the worst in the league.
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AP Sports writer Larry Lage of Detroit contributed to this report.
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