The Rams closed a deal with Lions to acquire quarterback Matthew Stafford on Saturday, and it wasn’t long before Stafford met Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay.
Stafford and McVay allegedly had dinner together shortly after the deal was settled on Saturday, according to Albert Breer of MMQB. While the NFL world reacted to a real box office success, Rams’ new duo reportedly had dinner with Stafford’s wife Kelly and McVay’s fiancee Veronika in Los Cabos, Mexico. Stafford and McVay are likely to dive into a movie together in the coming weeks, but on Saturday, more important matters await.
“As soon as the deal closed, about 1,100 miles south of LA, McVay and Stafford were sitting down to dinner to celebrate a new start,” wrote Breer on Sunday night. “The coach and his new defender were among several NFL players in Cabo last week – Saints coach Sean Payton and QB Drew Brees, Rams LT Andrew Whitworth and others have been around, too, for the past few days.”
So how exactly did Stafford and McVay connect so quickly? Kelly Stafford should thank you in large part.
McVay is friends with Bills coach Chad Hall, who is the brother of Kelly Stafford. The connection has led to a friendly relationship between the Staffords and McVay in recent years, and after the exchange was completed, the two couples gathered in Cabo to celebrate.
Saturday’s celebratory dinner barely materialized. Numerous teams have been involved in the Stafford draws by Breer, including Washington, Carolina, Indianapolis and San Francisco. Both Washington and Carolina offered their respective choices for the first round of 2021, and the football team also offered its third round for 2021. But, in the end, Los Angeles provided the widest range of choices, bringing together Stafford and McVay to the first of many dinners (and perhaps playoff victories) in the years that followed.
Check out Breer’s full column for more details on the trade and more in the Super Bowl week.