A week later Matthew StaffordJanuary’s exchange request came up, the Rams made a deal to acquire it for Jared Goff and three draft choices. But Detroit’s departure was on the 12-year veteran’s mind before the 2020 season as well.
Rumors circulated about a Stafford switch last year when he was coming out of a 2019 season cut short by injury, but they quickly disappeared. Stafford played 16 Lions games last season, but the team’s 5-11 record led to a regime change and an official switch request. Now ready for reconstruction, Lions hired a former Rams executive Brad Holmes like GM and Dan Campbell as head coach.
“To be honest, Kelly and I probably started talking about it before last season”Stafford said of the discussions between him and his wife about a possible departure from Detroit (via Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press). “It was one of those things where, you know, we hoped, damn it, come on, I hope this thing takes off and we play well. But if it doesn’t, you just know what’s going to happen. They would demolish it and rebuild.
“And whenever you change GM and head coach, you know that they will want to bring their own people, and that will take time. And I, frankly, didn’t feel that I was the right person to oversee that time. “
Stafford, who turned 33 last week, generated business inquiries or offers from almost half the league. The Panthers offered their choice of the first round (No. 8 overall) and Teddy Bridgewater for him; Washington offered its No. 19 overall pick and more. The Broncos’ offer did not reach that level, but they joined the Colts, 49ers, Bears and Patriots as other suitors. Stafford was considered against New England trade.
“I thought of all the places that everybody thought. Indianapolis. San Francisco – although you didn’t know what was going to happen to Jimmy (Garoppolo)”Said Stafford. “Washington, but we obviously didn’t know what was going to happen there. I just didn’t know how (the Rams) would be able to (execute a deal). I am not a salary cap guru. It got to the point where I thought, OK, I can’t just sit there and go crazy. I just tried to make it happen, and LA jumped aggressively into it. “
Between 2013-18, Lions have won between six and nine games in five seasons. Stafford will go to a Rams team that has made three of the last four playoff keys, after losing the previous 12.
“I always wanted to play in these great games; I feel that I will excel in these situations. I wanted to shoot my shot”Said Stafford, via Albom. “… In my mind, I felt that I could help us to win six, seven, eight games, because I wasn’t going to let us lose more than that, you know? But I probably wasn’t good enough (alone) to help us earn more than that. And we may never have the main options that we needed.
Although the Rams are set to update as a quarterback, they will acquire a player who comes from some recent injuries. Back problems caused Stafford to lose eight games in 2019, and he said he suffered a UCL tear in his left elbow during the Detroit Thanksgiving game. Stafford also told Albom that he suffered a partial UCL tear in his right thumb and a broken rib, as well as several leg problems last season. The first overall choice, however, has lost just eight games in the past 10 years.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.