Rams: The trade for Matthew Stafford and the reliance on late round picks

Well, it is official. The offseason has not even officially started and we have seen our first blockbuster trade already occur. This was an unexpected one though. Entering the 2021 NFL Draft season without a first round pick already, the Los Angeles Rams are now even poorer in draft assets.

Everyone knew that Matthew Stafford was on the trade block, but the return they got for him was quite unexpected. The Detroit Lions traded Matthew Stafford to the Rams in exchange for two future first round picks (in 2022 and 2023), a 2021 third round pick, and quarterback Jared Goff.

The news came across the screen and many were shocked, instantly taking to social media to see the reactions of fans and media members across the country. The reactions were all over the place as many were processing just how big of an impact this had both on the league perspective and for each team involved.

Rams jumpstart wild QB market

Immediately many began to discuss what Deshaun Watson’s trade value now was, or just how successful this Rams team can now be with Stafford at the helm. Others discussed and questioned why the capital was this high. It could be because the Rams thought Stafford was the guy to take them the distance. Or it could be because that’s the price you have to pay to offload a middling quarterback with a bad contract off your books.

But above all these intriguing headlines one thing stood out to me and it was the impact this trade had on the Rams future draft capital and their reliance on late round picks to make this super bowl window really count.