Matt Stafford asked for a trade to ‘a team that’s ready to win a championship’...

Matthew Stafford asked for trade to team that's 'ready to win a championship'

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva

Matthew Stafford put up some big numbers in Detroit as a member of the Lions. He threw for 4,000 yards in seven straight seasons and eight times in his career, racking up 282 total touchdown passes and 45,109 yards.

What he didn’t do, though, is win any playoff games. He went 0-3 in his three career postseason starts, struggling to carry the Lions deep into the playoffs. So when he asked the front office for a trade this offseason, he specified that he wanted to go to a team that’s ready to win now.

The Los Angeles Rams certainly check that box, with the league’s No. 1 defense and a strong supporting cast around him on offense. In Part 2 of his interview with Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press, Stafford admitted there were teams he didn’t want to go to.

“What’s accurate is — and this is an incredible thing by [the Lions] — I asked to go to a team that was ready to win a championship,” Stafford said. “And, you know, there were a few teams on that list. There were a few teams that were not on that list. And they were respectful of that and understood completely. I had thoughts and reasons for each one of them.”

The Rams have won three playoff games in four years under Sean McVay, and have even made a Super Bowl appearance. They’re built to win right now and are truly going all-in to pursue a ring in 2021 by trading Jared Goff and three draft picks to acquire Stafford.

They’ll suffer some losses in free agency, but if the Rams can still be close to the team they were last season, Stafford could put them over the top and potentially help them win a Super Bowl next year – which will be played at SoFi Stadium, as an added bonus.