Lions Steal from Rams in Stafford Trade. Vikings Affected.

Eric Kendricks
Image courtesy of Vikings.com

Note: This article originally appeared on our sister-site, purplePTSD.com.

The Minnesota Vikings will face a new division signal-caller when they square off with the Detroit Lions twice annually – Jared Goff. Matthew Stafford seeks to revamp his career in the City of Angels with Sean McVay’s Rams.

Per yearly tradition, the Los Angeles Rams traded their 1st-round pick to another NFL team. They do it every year. The last time Los Angeles made a selection in the 1st round of the draft was 2016 – the year they drafted Goff. So, a bit of irony there.

The Vikings now watch and wait for the Lions, under new leadership, to ascend the division from the basement that the team has inhabited for decades. Swapping Stafford for Goff and draft picks is a conduit to improvement.

Here’s the trade deal:

This cargo of pick compensation – forget Goff – is colossal. Most NFL heads foresaw Stafford departing Detroit for a late-1st-round pick and maybe some juice on top for good measure. Two Firsts, a 3rd, and a franchise quarterback to boot were on the bingo card of no one.

The Lions, for now, will reap the benefits of this blockbuster swap. Because of that, it makes the Vikings life more difficult.

Stafford and Goff Statistical Comps

Matthew Stafford is more beloved than Jared Goff. There is an odd folklore-like sympathy that surrounds Stafford. “Wait until Stafford gets out of Detroit” or “Poor Matt” is the mentality that permeates NFL circles. Folks believe that all he needs is a change of scenery to blossom. He will now receive just that.

Statistically, Stafford and Goff are bedfellows.

Goff accounts for more touchdowns on the whole. But he throws more interceptions. For brass tacks, Stafford is probably the more talented quarterback, but it is not by much. Hell, Goff was the NFL’s 1st overall selection five years ago.

The Lions gained a quarterback that performs as aptly as their long-timer in Stafford – with franchise-altering draft capital as [multiple] cherries on top.

Lions Stack Draft-Pick Arsenal for Rebuild

Three additional draft picks, a decent franchise quarterback in Goff, and no surrender of existing draft assets – is the verdict for Detroit. If new head coach Dan Campbell is relatively competent, the Lions are outfitted handsomely to rebuild a maligned franchise – one that fumbled the careers of Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, and now Stafford. If Campbell isn’t the right fit, well, Detroit players will be gnawing a lot of knee caps for the next several years.

On Goff, the Vikings facing the 26-year-old twice per season is not frightful. Consider him 9/10 of what Stafford can accomplish, at least in terms of arm talent and field acumen.

It’s the draft capital – should Detroit actually make smart choices – that should instill anxiety in Vikings fans. They even have the 7th overall pick this April to heap on top of all this excitement.

Rams = Win Now (evidently)

Stafford will visit U.S. Bank Stadium, if healthy, with the Rams in 2021. The Rams are indeed on the docket. They will not have any fresh 1st-round draft picks, though. They never do.

Whether it’s barter for Jalen Ramsey or now Stafford, the Rams front office trades its 1st-round draft picks each season like clockwork. It must be a cultural philosophy as they conduct this practice so frequently.

The Rams receive a 33-year-old commodity in Stafford – the same age that Kirk Cousins will be to start 2021. In his physical prime, Los Angeles realistically has about 3-4 years of peak Stafford, assuming he avoids injury nips. Sean McVay and Co – per usual – are in supreme win-now mode.

Minnesota will see the fallout of this trade three times in 2021. The Lions obviously follow their routine NFC North schedule in playing the Vikings twice. Then, the Stafford Rams will do a demonstration in Minneapolis sometime this fall or winter.

The Lions need a total franchise about-face to contend with the Vikings. Detroit is 11-29 (.275) versus Minnesota in the last 20 years.

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