Even as Matthew Stafford heads to the Super Bowl with the Rams, Lions general manager Brad Holmes has no regrets about the deal.
As the Detroit Lions entered a rebuild last offseason, Matthew Stafford made it known he didn’t want to be part of a rebuild. And at this stage of his career, who could blame him? Lions general manager Brad Holmes, then fresh on the job, obliged and traded the franchise’s all-time leading passer to the Los Angeles Rams for three draft picks and Jared Goff.
Now, as Stafford heads to Super Bowl LVI in his first season as the Rams’ quarterback, his 12 seasons with the Lions are being painted in an extra negative light. With at least one possibly better trade offer out there from the Carolina Panthers, which would have included the No. 8 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Holmes ultimately did Stafford right by sending him to a team with legit championship aspirations. Stafford also may have nixed the deal to send him to Carolina.
Holmes recently confirmed the Panthers had interest in Stafford. The Lions ultimately got two first-round picks from the Rams, which may have tipped the scales.
Brad Holmes has no regrets about Stafford trade with the Rams
Skeptics might say Holmes, who worked with the Rams from 2003-2020 and was their director of college scouting from 2013-2020, also did his former organization a big favor by sending Stafford to them and taking off Goff’s contract in return.
Speaking from the Senior Bowl on Monday, via Kyle Meinke of MLive, Holmes has no regrets about the Stafford trade with the Rams.
“I mean, I think we’re in two different phases, and that’s what I think he recognized. I respected his request, and we did the best thing we did for our organization and the best thing for him.”
#Lions GM Brad Holmes on success of Matthew Stafford: “He asked for a trade and I think it worked out for both sides.” Holmes says he’s “not surprised” by LA’s success. “I got a lot of great respect for those people in that organization.” He’s in the “present” w/ Lions though. pic.twitter.com/8OHls47Ujz
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) January 31, 2022
Only time will tell if the Stafford trade will truly work out for the Lions. They are down in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, where they’ll get a closer look at some prospects who could be their next franchise quarterback. Holmes will not look back on the trade offer he took for Stafford with any regret–what was done is what was done.