The Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions will forever be connected by a trade that happened during the preseason of the 2021 campaign.
The trade sent long-time Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford back to where he grew up in Los Angeles, while the number one pick of the 2016 NFL Draft Jared Goff went to the Motor City.
For the first year of this deal, it worked out well for the Rams.
Stafford left his old team, moved to Hollywood, and won them a Super Bowl.
Alternatively, Goff struggled with the Lions and had many people doubting his future as a quarterback.
But, NFL analyst Michael David Smith believes that in the long term, it is the Lions and Goff who will benefit from this trade.
Jared Goff is a better QB than Matthew Stafford right now, younger, healthier, cheaper, and the Lions will get a Top 5 pick from the Rams in the 2023 draft. The Rams winning the Super Bowl was an all-time example of the results working out on a fundamentally bad trade.
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) December 7, 2022
The Lions Are In Better Shape
Let’s take this year as a prime example.
The Rams came into this season as the defending champions with everything to prove.
They have failed miserably in this, and are probably on course for the worst title defense in NFL history.
As for Stafford, he is out for the season, meaning the Rams are reliant on backup quarterbacks, and as of today, Baker Mayfield.
On the other hand, the Lions are having a very strong season.
While they may not make the playoffs this year, mostly due to the Minnesota Vikings being very strong this year, they are a high-scoring offense.
If seems like overnight, Goff and the Lions not only know how to score, but how to score many times in a game.
That is something the Rams could only dream about now.
Also, the Rams traded away a top-5 pick in this year’s draft to the Lions, so they can add to this ever-improving offense.
The Rams may one day regret this decision.
Winning a Super Bowl in your own stadium is nice, but if you cannot keep that form up season to season, a complete rebuild may be required.
NEXT: The Lions Achieved A Rare Feat On Sunday