When Brad Holmes took over as the General Manager of the Detroit Lions, one of the first tasks he needed to take care of was the Matthew Stafford situation. It had become clear with a newly implemented regime that the Lions were going to go into a full rebuild, and Stafford knew his window was closing. The Lions wanted to make sure they do right to the quarterback they have had since 2009 and honor his request to pursue a Super Bowl championship.
Holmes found a trade partner with his former team, the Los Angeles Rams, who figured they were a quarterback away from obtaining the ultimate prize. The deal became the Rams receive Matthew Stafford, and Lions got Jared Goff, a 2021 3rd-round pick, a 2022 first-round pick, and a 2023 first-round pick. The Rams would go on to win the Super Bowl as the Lions used the capital to retool the organization.
