Jared Goff Trade Details: Revisiting Winners and Losers From Lions-Rams Trade

On Jan. 31, 2021, the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams completed a trade that would shake up the NFL, causing immediate ramifications across the football landscape. The Lions sent franchise QB Matthew Stafford to the Rams for QB Jared Goff and several draft picks.

Why would Detroit trade Stafford? He was the Lions’ franchise headliner for a decade, but Detroit was never able to build a winner around him. Stafford asked the Lions organization to trade him, preferably to a winner, and the Lions agreed.

Los Angeles appeared to be Stafford’s first choice, and the veteran signal-caller got his wish. The Lions may have been able to strike a better deal elsewhere, but they did right by their former franchise QB.

Years later, and after the draft capital is spent, let’s look back at the Goff/Stafford trade.

Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford Trade Details

The Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff trade had the NFL world talking 👀 pic.twitter.com/TIGudqEOFk

— ESPN (@espn) January 31, 2021

The Lions received:

• QB Jared Goff
• CB Ifeatu Melifonwu (2021 third-round pick)
• WR Jameson Williams (2022 first-round pick)
• DL Josh Paschal (2022 second-round pick)
• RB Jahmyr Gibbs (2023 first-round pick)
• TE Sam LaPorta (2023 second-round pick)
• DT Brodric Martin (2023 third-round pick)

The Rams received:

• QB Matthew Stafford

Players Involved in the Goff/Stafford Trade

Stafford was the marquee name in the trade. He was tired of playing for a perpetual loser in the Lions, and the Rams saw Stafford as the missing piece to a Super Bowl team.

The trade with the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams for Matthew Stafford was completed this weekend:

The Rams got: Matthew Stafford

Lions got: QB Jared Goff, CB Ifeatu Melifonwu, WR Jameson Williams, DE John Paschal, RB Jahymr Gibbs, TE Sam LaPorta, and DT Brodic Martin pic.twitter.com/usxpfAwNs9

— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) May 2, 2023

The Rams were correct, as Stafford led them to a Super Bowl title during his first season under center.

Many NFL analysts considered Goff a “throw-in” at the time of the trade. Goff has played significantly better than expected and has provided solid QB play for the Lions. Reportedly, the Lions are considering signing Goff to a contract extension.

Who Won the Goff/Stafford Trade?

The Rams are winners in this trade because Stafford pushed them over the top. Stafford and the Rams front office hosted the Lombardi Trophy the following year, so they won this trade.

From a special edition of NFL Now: Breaking down the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff trade that was several weeks in the making for the #Rams and #Lions. pic.twitter.com/RYz18FqDYZ

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 31, 2021

The Lions are also a winner in this trade. Think about the state of the Lions’ franchise when they completed this trade. No one thought of them as title contenders. Detroit traded Stafford, enabling the franchise to hit the reset button and begin their rebuild.

The Lions have taken the draft picks from the Rams and have accumulated plenty of exciting young talent. Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Sam LaPorta are blank slates heading into 2023, but on paper, the Lions organization has assembled some of the most exciting young talent in the NFL.