On Jan. 30, 2021, the Lions traded Matthew Stafford to the Rams for Jared Goff, a third-round draft choice in 2021 and first-round choices in 2022 and 2023. On Jan. 30, 2022, the Rams, with Stafford as their starting quarterback, defeated the 49ers 20-17 to win the NFC championship.
Stafford went 0-3 in the postseason as the starting quarterback of the Lions. He is 3-0 in the postseason in his first season with the Rams.
The Lions, meanwhile, went 3-13-1 in 2021, have the second overall choice in the 2022 draft and are coaching in the Senior Bowl this week.
General Manager Brad Holmes, who spent 18 seasons in the Rams’ scouting department before joining the Lions a year ago, has no regrets about the trade.
“He asked for a trade, and I think it worked out for both sides,” Holmes said, via video from Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “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’ve got a lot of great respect for those people in that organization with the Rams. They have the leadership to really go far, and they’ve had a really intentional build that they’ve been doing for years. When you’re building it for that long, and then you add a piece like him, I’m not surprised by their success. But right now all we can do is stay in the present. . . . The present is the reality, and right now, they’re headed to the Super Bowl and we’re coaching the Senior Bowl. So that’s the reality we’re at right now.”
It remains to be seen if it truly worked out for the Lions. They have not made the playoffs since 2016. They have not won a playoff game since 1991. They have never played in a Super Bowl.
