Do Commanders Regret Not Trading For Matthew Stafford?
Washington Commanders general manager Martin Mayhew will watch the Super Bowl with a nagging thought in the back of his mind: "What if?"
Just over a year ago the Los Angeles Rams beat out the Washington Football Team, among other suitors, to trade for Matthew Stafford. They sent former No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff, two future first-round picks and a 2021 third-round pick to the Detroit Lions to acquire their new starting quarterback.
After making the deal, the Rams find themselves just one win away from the franchise's first Super Bowl championship since 1999. How close was Washington to landing Stafford?
The Commanders reportedly offered the Lions its first-round pick from 2021 (No. 19) along with a third-round pick and a current starter for Stafford.
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The risk the Rams took was massive, but so far, it's paying off. In order to win in the NFL, general managers have to take "big swings" with their roster. Win Super Bowl LVI and the Rams will officially be the winners of the trade.
A loss would send the Rams back to the drawing board and have them try again next season. But by trading for Stafford - and making "all-in" deals to acquire Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller - the they have improved and put themselves in Super Bowl-contender conversations for the immediate future.
There are a lot of similarities between the Rams and Commanders.
The Rams were strong on defense, but struggled on offense. The same can be said about the Commanders, despite the unit's struggles in 2021.
If you take out Taylor Heinicke and insert Stafford, maybe Washington would have made the playoffs this season and we'd have a whole different outlook on how this past season went.
