A win-win for Rams, Lions

Dueling again, Stafford and Goff both have thrived since big trade

- By Gary Klein

Jared Goff doesn't think about it much anymore.

"It feels like a long time ago," he told Detroit reporters last week.

Matthew Stafford hinted at the same during his weekly availability with Los Angeles reporters.

It’s been nearly five years since the Rams sent Goff, two first-round draft picks and a third-round pick to the Detroit Lions in a blockbuster trade for Stafford. But as much as the two star quarterbacks — and former No. 1 picks in the draft — would like to politely leave it be, they forever will be linked in the greater football consciousness.

"It wasn’t an easy transition for anybody," Stafford said. "You're moving across the country. Your families are moving across the country, all those kind of things. You're going to a new team, doing all of that.

“So I’ve got a ton of respect for him. And hopefully he feels the same way towards me.”

On Sunday at SoFi Stadium, Stafford and Goff will duel for the fourth time. The Rams beat the Lions at SoFi Stadium in 2021, but the Lions defeated the Rams in the wildcard round of the NFC playoffs the next season at Ford Field and then beat them again in the same stadium in the 2024 season opener.

Who got the best end of the deal?