The Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions agreed to a trade that shook up the NFL landscape just under two years ago when they swapped quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff in a blockbuster deal. Now, the two franchises and their current QBs are set to square off in Sunday’s Wild Card bout with a trip to the Divisional Round of the playoffs on the line.
Los Angeles ultimately decided to move on from Goff after he had seemingly fallen out of favor within the organization.
Goff had some strong early seasons with the Rams, throwing for 3,804 yards, 28 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 2017, his first full year as the starter. He then threw for a career-high 4,688 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 2018, securing his second straight Pro Bowl nod in the process as Los Angeles went 13-3.
Things started to go downhill from there, however. The Rams posted a 9-7 record in 2019 and then went 10-6 in 2020 (and won a playoff game despite Goff not being the starting quarterback for the postseason). He threw for 4,438 yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in what proved to be his final season with the franchise.
Subsequently, Rams general manager Les Snead stated that Goff was “a Ram in this moment” days after the franchise’s season-ending loss. Reports emerged shortly after that Los Angeles expected to have an open quarterback competition if Goff was not traded.
Those rumors ultimately came to a head days later when the Rams traded Goff to the Lions along with multiple draft picks in exchange for Stafford, who they evidently viewed as more capable of helping the franchise reach the heights of playoff success they desired.
Stafford’s availability was also well-timed as he and Detroit agreed to part ways with a new head coach and general manager coming in.
