The Best Of Both Worlds: Recapping The Jared Goff For Matthew Stafford Trade

In anticipation of their Wild Card matchup and Matthew Stafford's return to Detroit, Andrew Ball takes a look at the Jared Goff & Matthew Stafford trade, how it worked out for both teams, and who will win the playoff game.

Whether an already established commodity in the NFL or an incoming rookie with pre-draft hype, trading a haul of assets for a quarterback can be disastrous. The 49ers and Bears traded the farm for Trey Lance and Mitch Trubisky, respectively, during the NFL Draft. Neither earned a second contract with the team that selected them.

Russell Wilson, Daunte Culpepper, and Brett Favre were all already in the league when franchises took a chance on them. Favre, famously, became a legend in Lambeau. The Falcons, who dealt him to Green Bay, wasted the first-round pick they received in return. Culpepper struggled in Miami, unable to return to form following a major knee injury. Wilson likely won't play another snap as a Bronco, leading Denver to two losing seasons after coming over from Seattle.

There was skepticism when the Rams traded Jared Goff plus other assets for Matthew Stafford back in March of 2021. Goff had already led Los Angeles to a Super Bowl appearance. Stafford hadn't won a single playoff game in 12 seasons. Was giving up draft picks and a young captain worth the (perceived) upgrade at the position? In his first season in Southern California, Stafford hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. Two years later, Goff led the Lions to their first division title in three decades. Sunday night will be the first time in history that both starting quarterbacks will be facing their former team in the playoffs.

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The Los Angeles Side Of The Trade

It's not quite Peyton Manning returning to Indianapolis or Tom Brady showing up to Foxborough in a Buccaneers jersey, but Matthew Stafford's Detroit homecoming is the headline in The Motor City. The first-overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft leads the franchise in every major passing category. His 45,109 passing yards is nearly 30,000 more than the next guy in line. With another successful season like 2023, Goff would move into second place on the list in just four seasons. There's never been another quarterback like Stafford in Detroit.

There's also never been a quarterback like Stafford in Los Angeles, at least on the Rams' side. They claim four championships, two before the merger and another in St. Louis. He's responsible for their first and only Super Bowl title while in Inglewood.

He accomplished exactly what team brass had in mind when making the deal. It was championship or bust. There weren't any other assets being acquired as an insurance policy, or to build for the future. They were mortgaging the house for rings, and it worked.

The Detroit Side Of The Trade

It's easy to forget that just a couple of offseasons ago, the Detroit Lions seemed primed to move on from Jared Goff. In his first season in Motown, the Lions finished with a 3-13-1 record and owned the second-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Luckily for the trajectory of Goff's career, there was a void of talented quarterbacks entering the league that season. Kenny Pickett wasn't selected until 20th overall.

Instead, the Lions opted to select defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and use their newfound assets to build the team around Goff. With a winning record (nearly claiming a playoff spot) a year later, the Lions retooled again. Now, they are NFC North champions for the first time in 30 years and will seek to break the longest playoff victory drought in the league.

Stafford navigated the Lions to just four winning seasons and three playoff appearances. While the onus can't be placed entirely on the quarterback, Goff has already accomplished something that Stafford wasn't able to do.

Wild Card Matchup

It's safe to say that this is one of the rare cases that the trade has worked out for both franchises. Only one quarterback, however, will have the head-to-head playoff victory on their résumé.

The Rams have been one of the hottest teams in the NFL, going 7-1 over their last eight games, only losing to the kings of the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens, in overtime in Maryland. Stafford has thrown for 300 yards or multiple touchdowns in every game since Week 12. Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Demarcus Robinson are getting open with ease against opposing defenses. Detroit has been torched by top wideouts in recent weeks (192 and 141 yards for Justin Jefferson in two games, 227 yards for CeeDee Lamb), so the trio will have no issues racking up yardage again.

The Rams are also extremely susceptible to big plays in the passing game. As Stafford throws up big numbers in the box score, his counterpart does so as well. While the Lions may be missing tight end Sam LaPorta (knee), Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Josh Reynolds, and Kalif Raymond provide more than enough firepower for Goff. Not to mention, both of these offenses have elite options in the backfield.

All eyes will remain on the quarterbacks as they duel in the highest over/under line (51.5 at the time of this writing) on Wild Card weekend. Goff may finally get his revenge against the team that essentially told him that he wasn't good enough to win a Super Bowl.

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