The Rams paid a lot to acquire Matthew Stafford last year. They traded Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-rounder to the Lions for the veteran quarterback, giving Detroit the necessary assets to begin its rebuild under Dan Campbell.
Yet, even with as much as the Rams gave up, it was worth every penny for one simple reason: They won the Super Bowl.
That was the end goal in acquiring Stafford. He was the quarterback who was supposed to get them over the hump, and he did. The Rams probably didn’t expect him to help them win a ring so quickly, but their trade for Stafford was validated after just one season.
On the other side, Los Angeles’ Super Bowl victory probably left many in Detroit feeling frustrated. It showed Stafford really wasn’t the problem for the Lions, not only winning his first playoff game in Year 1 with the Rams, but going all the way to win the Super Bowl.
Now that we’re deep into Stafford’s second season, the trade is looking more and more like a win for both teams. The Rams got their ring, and the Lions are on the verge of getting a top-10 pick, maybe even one inside the top five.
With the Rams sitting at 3-7, they would currently hold the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 draft. That pick, of course, is going to the Lions. Amazingly, the Lions’ own pick (13) is later than the one they got from the Rams, which isn’t something they expected to happen – certainly not after seeing the Rams win it all last season.
Getting a top-10 pick would be a gift for Detroit. Lions GM Brad Holmes probably thought the Rams – his former team – would be contenders for at least two seasons. But more than halfway through the 2022 campaign, the Rams are anything but that. They’re on the verge of one of the worst seasons ever by a defending champion.
Just as it was painful for the Lions and their fans to watch the Rams win Super Bowl LVI with Stafford last season, it’ll be just as hard for fans in Los Angeles to see the Lions picking in the top 10 come April. But when the Lions do go on the clock early in next year’s draft, the Rams can use their massive, diamond-studded rings to distract them.
With each painful loss the Rams suffer this season, everyone in Detroit celebrates a little bit. But in no way should Les Snead or Sean McVay feel like they’re on the wrong end of the trade. They got what they set out for in February.
This is one of those rare blockbuster trades that works out for both sides. It was a win-win.
