After mutually agreeing to part ways in the offseason, the Detroit Lions have officially finalized a Matthew Stafford trade with the Los Angeles Rams. According to early reports, Detroit will receive two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and quarterback Jared Goff. Stafford, an 11-year NFL veteran, has spent the entirety of his career to date with Detroit.
Detroit is dealing QB Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two future first-round picks, a third-round pick and QB Jared Goff, per sources. Two former No. 1 overall picks trading places in the first blockbuster NFL trade of 2021.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2021
Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions Agree to Matthew Stafford Trade
After a career year in 2019, Matthew Stafford took a step back during his second year under Darrell Bevell. Playing without star receiver Kenny Golladay for the vast majority of the season, Stafford ended the year completing 64.2% of his passes for 4,084 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. While he started and played in all 16 games, it’s worth noting that Stafford played through a multitude of serious injuries and also had to deal with Matt Patricia being fired halfway through the season.
Stafford initially entered the NFL as a first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Selected by the Detroit Lions, Stafford had the unenviable task of taking over the 0-16 iteration of the franchise. He did the best he could under the circumstances, completing 53.3% of his passes for 2,267 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions in 10 games. Injuries limited Stafford to just three games in 2010 before breaking out in 2011.
During his third season in the league, Stafford played in all 16 games while completing 63.5% of his passes for 5,038 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions while guiding the Lions into the playoffs. He followed that up in 2012 by completing 59.8% of his passes for 4,967 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions.
Stafford’s best season came in 2019 under first-year offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. Playing in eight games, the 31-year-old quarterback completed 64.3% of his passes for 2,499 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions while constantly attacking the deep part of the field. Unfortunately, injuries limited him to just nine games throughout the campaign.
To date, Stafford has completed 3,898 of his 6,224 passing attempts for 45,109 yards, 282 touchdowns, and 144 interceptions.
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