Thoughts on the Latest "Big" NFL Trade

As most of you know by now, Jared Goff was traded to the Lions, plus a slew of picks, and the Rams picked up Matthew Stafford. Today I’m going to share my thoughts on what happened.

I have read many things since the trade happened over the weekend. People have called this a "blockbuster", they have picked the winners of the trade, they have said how this will transform both teams, Goff has said he is excited to "be where he is wanted", and apparently Stafford was willing to go anywhere but the Patriots.

All of this, to me, is pure noise. I do not buy any of the hype being tossed around this trade. I do not view it as a blockbuster. In fact, I do not think either team got any better or any worse. Minus the picks the Lions got, this trade is about as milquetoast as trades come in the NFL. The two QB's that were traded for each other are pretty much the same player. I do think that Stafford is better, but not by that much. Stafford also gets injured a lot, and it is not like the Rams have anyone even near Calvin Johnson's level. When Stafford had Johnson on his team, he could just chuck it up and Johnson would go get it. I think we have seen the real Stafford the past couple years. He is not as skilled as I, and many others thought when he was the first pick overall. He also has some very happy feet in the pocket, and is not mobile at all. The Rams also do not have Todd Gurley anymore, their O line is kind of mediocre and the tight ends are very blah. The Rams win now with defense, and that is why I do not think Stafford changes this team much, if at all. The Rams have two of the best defenders in the game in Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. Donald may be the best player in the NFL, and Ramsey is about as lockdown as they come. He is, probably, the best corner in the league. Stafford may be able to chuck a long ball, and he may mesh well with Sean McVay, but I still do not see them being any better than 9-7 or 10-6. They will still be a bubble playoff team, they may even win a playoff game like they did this year, but it will not be because they added Stafford. They will win because Sean McVay is a very good coach, and that defense is top notch. Stafford doesn't move the needle.

As for Goff and the Lions, this does absolutely nothing to change the fact that they will not win anymore than 6, maybe 7 games. I also think, especially if he didn't like McVay, that Goff will not like Dan Campell. I know I already don't like him and his weird tough guy act. I am also very curious to see how he works in a system that isn't so placated to his skill set. He is going to have to make plays, to do some stuff that extends plays, to make things unexpected happen. He isn't that type of player. He is as system as they get. He didn't get paid because he was some otherworldly QB when the Rams made the Super Bowl. He got paid because Sean McVay made him look like a top tier QB. He doesn't have a staff that is going to tailor a game plan to his skills. He also has less weapons now than he had in LA. I think the Lions best receiver is Kenny Golladay. He isn't bad, but he isn't great. The Lions also haven't had a real run game since Barry Sanders retired. And their defense isn't anywhere close to the top of the league. The only thing that the Lions really got out of this deal is a bunch of future picks. That is what teams crave now. But Jared Goff doesn't make them an instant contender. They aren't better than Green Bay. The Bears have a better defense. And the Vikings cannot be worse than they were last season. Add in all the other NFC teams, including the Rams, and the Lions are still in that rebuilding phase.

I do not see this as some blockbuster or some shift in the league. This is just a common trade for two very similar, not exciting, old school NFL QB's.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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