Instant analysis of Rams trading Jared Goff for Matt Stafford...

Instant analysis of Rams trading Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva

Who needs first-round picks? Not the Los Angeles Rams, apparently.

On Saturday night, the Rams agreed to trade Jared Goff, two future first-round picks and a third-rounder to the Lions for Matthew Stafford. It’s the second time since 2019 that the Rams traded two first-rounders for a player, with the other instance being the Jalen Ramsey deal.

So what does this mean for the Rams? And was it a good move for them to make right now? Those are tough questions to answer in the immediate aftermath of the trade coming down, but one thing is clear: The Rams continue to operate with a win-now mindset. As was the case with the Brandin Cooks trade, as well as the Ramsey deal, the Rams are putting the future aside in order to set the team up for success right now.

Stafford is certainly an upgrade over Goff. He’s thrown for at least 4,000 yards eight times, has five seasons of at least 25 touchdown passes and hasn’t thrown more than 13 interceptions in a season since 2013.

He’s a true gunslinger in every sense of the word and will take chances that Goff refused to this season. Stafford’s best trait might be his cannon of an arm, which pairs well with his aggressiveness. Goff, meanwhile, was content to take underneath throws all season long.

In that regard, the Rams absolutely got better. Stafford has the potential to throw for 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns in Sean McVay’s offense, which utilizes a lot of play action, rollouts and unique route concepts to get receivers open.

Granted, yards don’t translate to wins, but Stafford injects a much-needed level of aggressiveness that was sorely lacking this season. And he does so without a reckless playing style, doing a good job to avoid interceptions and turnovers despite throwing it deep often.

As for the cost of this trade, it certainly is high. The Rams will go the next three years (including 2021) without a first-round pick. That’s often the backbone of building strong rosters, getting young talent for cheap. But clearly, Les Snead doesn’t put much value in the top 32 selections and would rather trade first-round picks for proven commodities.

With no first-round picks coming soon, it puts an added emphasis on successfully drafting in the mid-to-late rounds. The Rams must find talent in the second through seventh rounds because with a $22.2 million dead cap hit coming from Goff’s contract and no first-rounders coming any time soon.

They need to continue finding guys like John Johnson, Jordan Fuller, Darious Williams, Tyler Higbee, Cooper Kupp and Sebastian Joseph-Day. If not, they won’t have the money to go out and pay big-time free agents, and they won’t have the top-end draft capital to inject talent into the roster if it falters in the next two years.

By trading Goff, the Rams are essentially admitting his extension was a mistake. Had they not signed him in 2019, he would’ve just finished his fifth year in the NFL, which would’ve made him a free agent this offseason. But instead, they paid him earlier than they needed to and two seasons later realized he’s not a franchise quarterback.

Snead is never one to shy away from making a big splash, and he didn’t here. But if the Rams don’t make the playoffs in each of the next two seasons and don’t legitimately contend for a Super Bowl, this trade could wind up coming back to bite them.