Matthew Stafford wanted to play for 49ers or Colts if Rams couldn’t finalize trade with Lions, report says

If Matthew Stafford hadn’t landed with the Rams this offseason, he might still have ended up in NFC West. That’s according to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, who reports in a profile on the new Los Angeles quarterback that Stafford had three favorite destinations for his business outside of Detroit: the Rams, 49ers and Colts, in that order. The Rams ended up parting ways with two first-round picks, as well as former Pro Bowl QB Jared Goff, to acquire Stafford from the Lions, but Wickersham says Stafford was ready to leave Motown regardless, considering trade demand. potential from the start. like the 2020 offseason.

“After last season, Stafford was ready to do something he and his wife, Kelly, had discussed for the first time before the start of the year: ask for a trade in Detroit,” writes Wickersham. “He met the leaders and owners of the Lions for hours, shedding a few tears. He called Kelly on the way home, telling her the leaders were surprised, but after listening to his reasoning, they understood.”

Stafford, 33, who spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Lions, was allowed to seek a trade almost immediately. The two sides, Wickersham reports, have agreed to “keep the situation confidential and out of the news”, vowing to avoid leaks regarding Stafford’s preferred destinations. But the QB informed Detroit at the time, according to Wickersham, that he would ideally land with the Rams, Niners or Colts – three potential playoff teams supposed to pursue QB upgrades.

The Panthers offered the Lions a lucrative package in an attempt to land Stafford, Wickersham adds, and Detroit could have accepted the offer given that Stafford did not have a no-trade clause in their contract. But Stafford “didn’t want to go so the team made him a solid and worked with the Rams.” Weeks later, Stafford was on vacation at the same Cabo resort that Rams coach Sean McVay, along with LA left tackle Andrew Whitworth, spent a poolside visit to get to know the QB of the Longtime Lions and negotiated Stafford’s relocation.

What was it that most convinced Stafford that the Rams would be a good landing point?

“I just wanna play in big games, you know?” he said to Wickersham. “I want to have opportunities to make big plays in the fourth quarter against very good teams, in big moments, rather than a 1pm game on a Sunday somewhere.”