The Los Angeles Rams won’t be playing in the divisional round of the playoffs next weekend, but many of their former players, coaches and front office members will be. The Rams’ fingerprints are all over this NFC matchup, led by the team’s former starting quarterbacks, Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield.
Goff was the team’s starter for five years from 2016-2020, while Mayfield played five games with the Rams in 2022 before leaving in free agency and earning the starting job with the Buccaneers.
Here are the Rams connections in this second-round matchup between the Lions and Bucs.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield
Mayfield spent five games with the Rams at the end of the 2022 season, providing a spark for a team that was out of contention and in desperate need of some excitement. Not only did he give them that, but the Rams helped get his career back on track by letting him play free for five weeks in an attempt to set him up for a starting role in 2023.
That’s exactly what he earned with the Bucs, beating out Kyle Trask this offseason and leading the Buccaneers to the divisional round.
Bucs NT Greg Gaines
Gaines spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Rams after being selected in the fourth round. He left Los Angeles last offseason and signed with the Buccaneers, where he’s played 17 games but made just two starts.
He has one sack and 24 total tackles with the Bucs this year.
Bucs QB John Wolford
Wolford backed up Jared Goff and eventually Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles, making four starts in the regular season and going 2-2. He also started a playoff game against the Seahawks but exited with an injury after only six pass attempts.
He’s now the No. 3 quarterback in Tampa Bay behind Mayfield and Trask.
Bucs RBs coach Skip Peete
Peete remained with the Rams in 2017 after Jeff Fisher was fired and McVay was hired, staying in Los Angeles through the 2019 season. He coached Todd Gurley and the running backs, helping Gurley become a star and eventual Offensive Player of the Year.
Lions QB Jared Goff
Goff was the Rams’ No. 1 overall pick in 2016, spending five years with the franchise through the 2020 season. The Rams traded him to the Lions in 2021 for Stafford, ending his tenure in Los Angeles unexpectedly.
Goff has played well in Detroit, throwing 59 touchdown passes in the last two seasons, proving he’s still an above-average quarterback in the NFL.
Lions WR Josh Reynolds
Reynolds spent four years with the Rams from 2017-2020 before signing with the Titans in 2021. During his time in Los Angeles, he caught 113 passes for 1,450 yards and nine touchdowns. He requested his release from the Titans in 2021 and signed with the Lions after being cut.
Lions LS Jake McQuaide
McQuaide was a member of the Rams for 10 years from 2011-2020, playing all 160 games in that span. He signed with the Cowboys as a free agent in 2021 but landed with the Lions this past offseason.
Lions GM Brad Holmes
Holmes began his professional career as a scout with the Rams in 2003, holding that position until 2012. He was then promoted to the director of college scouting in 2013, spending eight years in that role. The Lions hired him as their general manager in 2021 and he’s done a remarkable job constructing their roster in the last three years.
