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The Panthers were among several teams vying for Matthew Stafford before the Lions agreed to trade him to the Rams, but the reports of what the Panthers were offering is eye-opening.
Carolina offered up its first-round pick this year, No. 8 overall, and more, according to Albert Breer of SI.com and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
With an offer like that, it’s surprising that the Lions would take the Rams’ offer of a 2021 third-round pick, 2022 first-round pick, 2023 first-round pick and Jared Goff instead. The Rams’ picks in 2022 and 2023 will likely be later in the first round than No. 8 overall, and teams almost always prioritize having picks this year over having them in the future. In fact, if the Lions really wanted first-round picks in future years, they could have gotten them by trading out of the Panthers’ No. 8 overall pick, as well as the Lions’ own No. 7 overall pick.
The Rams were eager to get rid of Goff’s contract, and Lions General Manager Brad Holmes, who was with the Rams throughout Goff’s tenure, may like him well enough that he views Goff, even with his expensive salary cap hits the next two seasons, as a positive asset. But with a Top 10 pick in 2021 being offered, it’s surprising that the Lions preferred Goff and the Rams’ package of picks instead.
