It’s the end of an era – the era of empty statistics.
Goodbye, Matthew Stafford.
Hello, complete and complete reconstruction.
May a new era officially begin. And this time, this era begins with a real plan.
The Detroit Lions traded quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for three draft picks: two first-round picks, in 2022 and 2023, and a third round this year. And that, in itself, is a clear victory for this new regime. It’s actually beyond my wildest dreams. Because it gives them so many options at a time when this franchise is in desperate need of them.
What a fantastic job for Lions, even if it was shocking, to say goodbye to someone who has been the face of this franchise for ages.
But then you think of the return again. Getting two first-round picks and a third? For Stafford? A guy who’s about to turn 33 and has two more years on his contract?
During a reconstruction? Any day of the week.
Sensational. Lions really do that. They are really trying to do it the right way. This reconstruction is real.
But there is one more thing.
The Lions have also picked up Jared Goff in what looks like a salary dump. Yeah. So this is it. Not really crazy about this part. But at worst, he can be a bridge to the next quarterback. In two years, the Lions can cut it and have no dead money on their salary cap.
At best, if he plays exceptionally well, they could keep him. At 26, Goff still has an advantage.
And the Lions can still draft a quarterback with the seventh pick in this year’s draft. They can let him sit, grow, and learn behind Goff. But here’s the best part: they don’t have to take one. Not if they’re not in love with it. If they wish, they can wait and use Goff in the meantime.
The options are a good thing.
But there are more. Maybe at some point they can flip Goff for more choices.
Maybe they can bundle one of those choices together and work their way through the draft.
What is that? Five different options? Do you come from a trade? For Stafford, a guy who wasn’t going to lead this team to a Super Bowl?
It is a fantastic thing.
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It is so different. For once, the Lions are bold. For once, they seem to have a plan and they seem to be following it.
For once, they can see what Lions fans have known for years: Stafford can play hard and could work wonders, but this team just isn’t good enough to compete right now.
And they just traded it in at the perfect time, when its value was highest.
I hope they can start building this squad the right way: improving defense. Build the offensive and defensive lines. Add talent at all levels.
This reconstruction is not a quick fix. They have to tear it down to the foundation.
And that’s what this trade did.
They ripped off the roof and started filing plans.
It’s like when the Detroit Tigers traded Justin Verlander. An official end.
And this is the end of an era. A Lions era that seems empty. Stafford put in some big stats but the team was never good enough to do anything.
And yet, there is an ironic and painful twist to this whole situation. Those Rams’ first round picks are bound to be late first round picks. And with Stafford, the Rams are doomed to win more games. Stafford is bound to achieve some of his miraculous victories. The kind of wins that will help the Rams diminish the value of those picks, and in turn, hurt the Lions’ draft over the years.
So be it.
It is a victory for this new regime.
Stafford will be remembered for being tough, for being honorable, for playing in pain, for leading this team to victories and for racking up all kinds of stats.
But these statistics did not lead to championships.
They didn’t even lead to a playoff victory.
This new regime has therefore done the right thing.
And they left with more than I thought possible.
Lions fans have every reason to be cynical. They still have to do something with these choices.
But they have options now and a new era has begun. When Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson left, the Lions got nothing.
At least this time they got something in return.
And it is the start of a new era that looks encouraging.
Contact Jeff Seidel: [email protected]. Follow him on twitter @seideljeff.
