Lions-Rams Instant Trade Grades

Wow. The first blockbuster in what promises to be a very wild and active NFL offseason. So many big-name quarterbacks will potentially be on the move and this one sort of sets the benchmark.

There’s certainly some pros and cons for both teams in this trade.

You’ve got to be bold when you play in the LA market. And that’s exactly what the Rams have done. Matthew Stafford is a major upgrade at the QB position. Without question he’ll benefit from playing his final years under Sean McVay’s tutelage. The Rams, with pedestrian QB play, actually had a decent showing this postseason. Having a Tom Brady or a Matthew Stafford or a DeShaun Watson undoubtedly could have given the team just what they needed to make a successful Super-Bowl run.

So while I salute the Rams for rolling the dice and going all-in over the next couple of years, I hate how much they’ve given up, especially considering that Stafford is 32 years old. Sure, Tom Brady is 11 years his senior, but my, how many players perform like TB that late in their career? Remember the great Peyton Manning? In his last year as QB, he could barely complete a pass ten yards downfield. But I do get it. The Rams only have so long to hold off the Arizona Cardinals. It’s only a matter of time before Kyler Murray dominance is here.

Following this trade, the Rams find themselves without a first round pick until 2024, which will certainly take a toll on the team’s future.

I’d be a little more ok with giving up those picks for say DeShaun Watson, who clearly is a younger player with a higher ceiling. What happens if Stafford gets hurt?

But you could say that a big positive for the Rams is giving up that atrocious Jared Goff contract.

This might be the best move the Lions have made in the last few years second only to firing the incompetent Matt Patricia.

While the downside is picking up the Jared Goff contract, the upside is turning the page on the Matthew Stafford era with some major draft assets. The Lions have been upstaged for decades in that division and this trade might be the sort of thing that pulls them out of it. So long as Matt Millen isn’t making the picks, the rebuild has the potential to be successful.

The Matthew Stafford era, in my opinion, will go down as one of the biggest coulda-woulda-shouldas in NFL history. Stafford and the Lions had so much potential. Putting up huge numbers, Stafford made the team somewhat relevant and certainly fun to watch. But that has to sting Lions fans because while the potential was there, this stretch will always be remembered as playing in Green Bay’s shadow.

My A- grade is for their potential to parlay their former number one overall pick into some pieces that can help them finally get over the hump.