The Los Angeles Rams will pay a steep price to acquire Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions. But it’s the right win-now move for a team on the cusp of Super Bowl contention that needed an upgrade at quarterback. Jared Goff, despite his nine-figure contract, is just not good enough.
The Rams will send the Lions a 2021 third-round pick, a first-round pick in 2022 and a first-round selection in 2023, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. They’re also jettisoning Goff to the Lions. Detroit will be on the hook for the remaining $43.325 million in guaranteed money on his deal.
Essentially, it cost the Rams an extra first-round pick to unload Goff. The Lions reportedly received interest from seven or eight teams offering first-round selections for Stafford.
Unsurprisingly, the Rams are receiving grief for how much they invested in Goff, and how much they’re giving up to send him away. They surrendered two first-round picks, two second-round picks and two third-round picks so they could move up to No. 1 overall and choose Goff in the 2016 NFL Draft. It was a gargantuan price, rivaling the franchise-changing haul Los Angeles landed from the Washington Football Team so they could move up to No. 2 overall and select Robert Griffin III in the 2012 NFL Draft.
At first, Goff flourished under Sean McVay. The duo won consecutive division titles and an NFC Championship. Thanks to an innovative scheme predicated on motion and play-action, Goff threw 32 touchdown passes and posted a QB rating of 101.1. That offseason, the Rams rewarded Goff with a four-year, $134 million extension with $110 million guaranteed.
In other words, the Rams paid Goff like an elite passer. He currently earns the same amount of money as Aaron Rodgers. But to put it kindly, the investment has not paid off. The McVay-Goff partnership never recovered from the Rams’ dismal showing in Super Bowl LIII against the New England Patriots, when they lost 13-3. Goff has turned the ball over 38 times since then, good for second-most in the league.
McVay’s lack of trust in Goff became apparent this postseason, when he opted to start undrafted free agent John Wolford in the team’s wild-card game against the Seattle Seahawks, even though Goff said he was ready to play 12 days removed from thumb surgery. Despite Wolford’s glaring lack of experience (he was a backup in the AAF last year), McVay seemingly felt more comfortable in his ability to executive Los Angeles’ offense. It was quite the statement.
But just as the scriptwriters would’ve planned, Goff received a chance to play anyway, when Wolford went down with a neck injury in the first quarter. Tellingly, Goff did not make the most of his second chance. He was serviceable against Seattle, throwing for 155 yards and a touchdown in the Rams’ 30-20 win. But he was subpar against the Packers in the Divisional Round, and clearly didn’t belong on the same field as Rodgers — never mind in the same pay range. Afterwards, the Rams made it clear they were open to an upgrade. McVay would only say Goff was his quarterback “right now,” and general manger Len Snead told reporters Goff was with the team “in this moment.”
Goff was the obvious weak link for the Rams, who can’t afford to wait around for him to potentially right himself. Los Angeles is built to win right now: Aaron Donald is in the middle of a $135 million deal; the team traded two first-round picks for Jalen Ramsey; Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods are both signed to lucrative multi-year extensions. When this trade is approved, the Rams won’t have a first-round pick for seven straight years.
The temporary embarrassment of investing so much sunken cost into Goff will be worth it if Stafford can lead the Rams back to Super Bowl contention. At the least, Vegas liked the move: The Rams now have the third-best odds for the 2021 season.
The biggest knock against Stafford, 32, is his 74-90 win-loss record. But those criticisms ignore the fact that he’s played his entire career with the Lions, one of the most moribund franchises in professional sports. Remember, Detroit was coming off an 0-16 season when it selected Stafford No. 1 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Over the last decade, Stafford has kept the Lions largely competitive—at least before Matt Patricia became the team’s head coach in 2018. Stafford has enjoyed eight seasons of 4,000 or more yards passing, including a 5,038-yard campaign in 2011. He’s No. 16 all-time in passing yards.
Though Stafford is routinely banged up, he’s one of the most durable quarterbacks in the game. He started 136 straight games from 2011-19—good for sixth-most all-time.
Paired with an acclaimed offensive guru for the first time in his career, it will be exciting to see what Stafford can accomplish. He’ll also be surrounded with superior talent compared to his running mates in Detroit. Rams receivers ranked second in percentage of receiving yards after the catch this season, whereas Lions pass-catchers ranked 24th. The Rams also protect the quarterback better, ranking first in the league in the percentage of drop back throws with seven or more blockers.
Throughout his 12 years in Detroit, Stafford only had an 100-yard rusher on his team in 11 games. Cam Akers rushed for 100 or more yards twice last season, and only started five games.
While trading Goff will cost the Rams $22.2 million in cap charges, they’re still saving $12.75 million on him. Stafford is very affordable going forward, with a $20 million cap hit in 2021 and $23 million cap hit in 2022. And as Jason Fitzergald of Over the Cap points out, those figures could come down if the Rams decide to restructure Stafford’s deal. He calculates they could reduce Stafford’s cap number to $4.86 million next season.
Obviously, the Rams didn’t intend to cut bait with Goff after investing so much draft and financial capital into him. But he wasn’t getting it done. The Rams are an aggressive organization and didn’t want to squander another season. They will give themselves a better chance to win in 2021 with Stafford under center. And that’s why this was the right move for them to make. For the Rams, it’s all about the present.
"now" - Google News
February 01, 2021 at 05:14AM
https://ift.tt/3oEK45A
Why Matthew Stafford Is The Right Win-Now Upgrade For Los Angeles Rams - Forbes
"now" - Google News
https://ift.tt/35sfxPY
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Why Matthew Stafford Is The Right Win-Now Upgrade For Los Angeles Rams - Forbes"
Post a Comment