How the ‘Brady Effect’ might have influenced the Matt Stafford trade...

How 'The Brady Effect' may have influenced Matthew Stafford trade

[bucswire.usatoday.com]

Luke Easterling

There are two kinds of teams in the NFL: Those that have a true franchise quarterback, and those that are desperately trying to find one.

It sure seemed like the Los Angeles Rams had their man when they signed Jared Goff to a hefty four-year extension just before the 2019 regular season. Instead, the Rams shipped Goff (and the remaining two years of that deal) to the Detroit Lions on Saturday night, along with a pair of future first-round picks, and a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

In return, the Rams got the veteran quarterback they believe can get their team over the top, and back to the Super Bowl: Matthew Stafford.

Yes, Goff had already led the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance just three years ago, but he ran into Tom Brady and a New England Patriots team that held them to just three points all game. But thing appear to have gone downhill since for Goff and Rams head coach Sean McVay, ultimately culminating in their parting of ways this past weekend.


If you’re looking for a potential catalyst for the bold moves the Rams just made, look no further than Brady himself, and his current situation with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After five seasons with Jameis Winston at the helm of the offense, the Bucs put up plenty of yards and points, but couldn’t overcome the truckload of turnovers that came along with them. Tampa Bay had promising talent on both sides of the ball, but managed just one winning season over that stretch, with no playoff appearances.

That led the Bucs to make a bold move this offseason, letting Winston (their all-time leader in every major passing category) walk in free agency, and setting their sights on the GOAT.


After signing Brady to a two-year deal, the Bucs made it clear they were going all-in to make Super Bowl runs over those two seasons. They backed that up with further moves, luring Rob Gronkowski out of retirement via a trade with the Patriots, and signing veteran free agents like Leonard Fournette, Antonio Brown and LeSean McCoy.

The results speak for themselves, as the Bucs are preparing for a Super Bowl LV matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs after rattling off a franchise-record seven straight wins, including three straight road playoff victories.

It’s unfair to compare any other quarterback to Brady, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Rams’ brass looked at the quick turnaround in Tampa Bay and decided they had similar pieces in place to make that kind of run, if they had the right quarterback to take them to that next level.


Stafford won’t do much for the #QBwinz crowd, but anyone who knows football and quarterback play will be quick to point out that the Lions’ lack of team success over his 12 seasons with the team had little to do with Stafford’s own performance. He’ll immediately have the best defense of his career with the Rams, along with a talented, balanced offense loaded with playmakers.

The Rams bought into their current window a long time ago, showing a consistent willingness to trade away future first-round picks in return for proven stars. That being the case, it wouldn’t be a hard sell for McVay and general manager Les Snead to part with another pair of first-round picks to land the quarterback they believe can do what Brady has done with the Bucs.

The 2020 Bucs proved just how much of a difference the right quarterback can make. The Rams will be hoping the same proves true for them next season.