How does Bronco’s deal for Wilson compare to Rams’ trade for Stafford?

How does Broncos' deal for Russell Wilson compare to Rams' trade for Matthew Stafford?

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva


For the second year in a row, an NFC West team made a blockbuster trade involving a quarterback. The Rams landed Matthew Stafford in a huge deal with the Lions last year, and on Tuesday, the Seahawks shipped Russell Wilson to the Broncos for a haul of five draft picks and three players.

These are two of the biggest quarterback-centric trades in recent history, with the Rams and Broncos going all-in for their veteran signal-callers. So how do these two trades compare and which team paid more?

Let’s lay out the details and decide.

Matthew Stafford trade

Rams trade:

2022 first-round pick
2023 first-round pick
2021 third-round pick
Jared Goff
Lions trade:

Matthew Stafford
There were a lot of people who thought the Rams gave up a lot for Stafford last year – and they did. Not only did they send the Lions two first-round picks and a third-rounder, but they also ate $24.7 million in dead money from Goff’s contract by trading him to Detroit. Pair that with Stafford’s cap hit of $20 million and the Rams essentially paid $44.7 million at quarterback last season.

However, it was all worth it because the Rams won the Super Bowl. That was their ultimate goal, accomplishing it in Year 1 of having Stafford in Los Angeles.

First-round picks are nice to have, but they’re speculative and turn into busts far too often. The Rams bet that Stafford would be an upgrade at quarterback and he definitely was, giving Los Angeles far greater return than those two first-round picks would have.

Russell Wilson trade

Broncos trade:

2 first-round picks
2 second-round picks
1 fifth-round pick
Drew Lock
Noah Fant
Shelby Harris
Seahawks trade:

Russell Wilson
1 fourth-round pick
Good luck deciding who won this trade. For the Seahawks, they lose their franchise quarterback but they get a massive haul in return, including four picks in the top 64, a fifth-rounder and three players with starting experience. Lock has a long way to go before he’s considered even an average starting quarterback, but the Seahawks obviously like his potential.

On the Broncos’ side, they finally have someone who can lead them deep into the playoffs – the type of player they’ve been searching for since Peyton Manning retired. The cost was high, sure, but they also wasted a first-round pick on Paxton Lynch in 2016 and their second-rounder used on Lock didn’t exactly pan out, either.

Like the Rams, if the Broncos go on to win a Super Bowl in the next two years with Wilson, it’ll all be worth it and no one will care what the trade compensation was.

Who paid more?

Well, both teams gave up two first-round picks. They also gave up a quarterback. But that’s really where the similarities end. The Broncos also sent Seattle two second-round picks and two additional starting-caliber players. The fourth- and fifth-round pick swaps almost cancel out, with the Seahawks moving down one round by making that exchange.

It’s pretty clear that the Broncos gave up more for Wilson, which isn’t surprising. He’s won a Super Bowl before, is a nine-time Pro Bowler and has only missed the playoffs twice in his career. He was the more established and decorated quarterback at the time of the trade, so it’s understandable that he returned more than Stafford.

Looking back and comparing the two trades, the Rams’ price for Stafford seems reasonable compared to the haul Denver gave up.