What the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff trade means for the Lions future
![Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams (Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports) Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams (Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/01d4761267e98338ea0cd3cae514a9b7ccde8079cb08893296dccc94badc94b2.jpg)
So where does this leave the Lions?
In 2021, the Lions now have the sixth most draft capital if you use the draft value chart in the league after Jacksonville, New York, Miami, Atlanta, and Cincinnati.
In 2022, the moves above would give the Lions two first-round picks (No.5 and No.32), four more top-100 picks (their second and third, plus a compensatory third for Golladay and a bonus day two pick for trading Goff), plus an additional fifth-round compensatory for losing Okwara.
And if we assume Goff, Justin Coleman, and Jamie Collins are gone then only Taylor Decker holds a $10+ million cap hit on the entire roster and the Lions have plenty of cap space to utilize in 2022 Free Agency.
To me, that would be quite a haul. Not to mention having two first-round picks in 2023 as well.
light. Related Story. Lions trade Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff, picks; A tale of two QBs
I appreciate not everyone will see it this way, and there are a lot of assumptions in there around decisions still to be made. Not to mention Brad Holmes and company still have to hit on draft picks, but I do think there is good reason to be optimistic over the future.