Matthew Stafford trade altered future for Rams, Lions immediately after deal
MOBILE, Ala. — A day after former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford led the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl, Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he has no regrets about the trade that may have given the Rams the final piece to their championship puzzle.
"I mean, I think we’re in two different phases and I think that’s what he had recognized," Holmes said Monday at the Senior Bowl. "I respected his request and we did the best thing for our organization, the best thing for him."
Stafford approached Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp and president Rod Wood last January, before Holmes took over as GM, and asked for a trade after 12 seasons in Detroit.
Holmes had planned to build around Stafford before learning of the request, but granted Stafford's wish to play for a contender rather than be part of another rebuild.
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Last Jan. 30, he agreed to trade Stafford to the Rams for quarterback Jared Goff and three draft picks, a third-round choice last spring and first-rounders this year and in 2023.
The Lions, playing without Stafford as their opening day starter for the first time since 2008, went 3-13-1 and finished with the second-worst record in the NFL this season.
The Rams went 12-5 and won the NFC West, and beat the San Francisco 49ers, 20-17, in Sunday's NFC championship game.
"They have a real and intentional build that they’ve been doing for years, so when you’re building it for that long and then you add a piece like him, not surprised at the success," Holmes said. "But right now all we can do is stay in the present for where we’re at right now. The Rams, congrats to them. It’s an accomplishment to host a big game in their own city. But the present is the reality right now, they’re headed to the Super Bowl and we’re coaching the Senior Bowl, so that’s the reality where we’re at right now and that’s what we’re doing."
The Rams have been one of the NFC's best teams for five straight seasons and have aggressively pursued a championship in that time.
They traded up to take Goff with the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft, then went 11-5 and won the division in Goff's first full season as starter in 2017.
In 2018, the Rams reached the Super Bowl, losing to the New England Patriots. They missed the playoffs but won nine games amid a rash of injuries in 2019, and went 10-6 and lost in the second round of the playoffs last year.
The Rams have mortgaged their future while stockpiling their roster with top talent, and have not had a first-round pick since Goff.
They sent their 2017 first-rounder to the Tennessee Titans as part of the Goff deal, traded their 2018 first-rounder to the New England Patriots for receiver Brandin Cooks, sent their 2019 first-rounder to the Atlanta Falcons while they on the clock in the draft, and traded their 2020-21 first-rounders to the Jacksonville Jaguars for cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
The Lions, with a shortage of talent on defense and at the offensive skill positions and with limited cap space last offseason, would have been in the early stages of a rebuild even if they held onto Stafford, who went 74-90-1 in 12 seasons in Detroit and made three playoff appearances without a postseason win.
"He asked for the trade and I think it worked out for both sides," Holmes said. "Stafford’s a good player and the Rams are a good team. So it worked out for them and in exchange we got compensation that can help us along the way. I’m not surprised by their success that they’ve had or his success. At the end of the day, I got a lot of great respect for those people in that organization with the Rams."