DETROIT – It’s the question nobody expected to be asking three years after the Matthew Stafford trade: Which team got the better quarterback?
When Brad Holmes took over as the general manager of the Detroit Lions, his first big move was to send the face of the franchise to the Los Angeles Rams. He did it to stockpile high draft picks, but he also received Jared Goff in return.
At the time of the deal, Stafford was considered an above-average quarterback who could put a loaded Rams roster over the time. Goff was considered a borderline starter who could bridge the gap to whoever became Detroit’s next young prospect.
But since then, the two have been very similar in terms of production.
In 48 games with the Lions, Goff has thrown for 12,258 yards, 78 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions. He’s completed 66.5% of his passes for an average of 7.3 yards per attempt.
In 41 games with the Rams, Stafford has thrown for 10,938 yards, 75 touchdowns, and 36 interceptions. He’s completed 65.7% of his passes for an average of 7.7 yards per attempt.
Stafford missed about half of the 2022 season due to injury, but the two quarterbacks have both won 24 regular season games with their new teams.
These statistics obviously don’t tell the whole story. Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl championship in his first season by throwing for 1,188 yards and nine touchdowns in four playoff games. He completed 70% of his passes and averaged 8.5 yards per attempt.
For that reason -- even though the regular-season numbers might slightly favor Goff -- Stafford has a clear edge so far in this comparison.
But we also have to add some context to the situations both of these quarterbacks inherited. Stafford took over as the leader of a team that had won 13, nine, and 10 games the three years before he arrived. The Lions won six, three, and five games before making the trade.
Stafford was plopped into the heart of a roster that was already stocked for a Super Bowl run, while Goff joined a brand-new coaching staff at the beginning of a total rebuild.
On a per-game basis, Goff has averaged 255 yards, 1.6 touchdowns, and 0.6 interceptions in Detroit. If you count his four playoff games, Stafford has averaged 269 yards, 1.9 touchdowns, and 0.9 interceptions.
So it would probably be fair to say Stafford has been a little bit better than Goff over the past three years, but not by a margin worthy of three high draft picks.
Goff is more than six and a half years younger than Stafford. He’s helped the Lions improve from a .302 winning percentage the three seasons before he arrived to a .480 winning percentage in the three years since.
Unless the Lions win a Super Bowl, the Rams will always be the winners of this trade. But it definitely worked out for the Lions too, even without the draft picks.
