Freep: Matthew Stafford's secret was rocket fuel that revived Detroit Lions

[RushDad]

I doubt any other team would see that approach as a benefit. The Lions got lucky in a sense, in that both Brad and Dan saw football the same way. You definitely do not want a GM and a coach that see the game differently. The Broncos won the Super Bowl after the 2015 season and after that the head coach (Kubiak) became ill and they cycled through a number of coaches that were never in sync with GM John Elway. After nine years of futility, they eke’ed into the playoffs this year because Sean Payton has full control of the team.

[RushDad]

This is a great article. I look forward to seeing the remaining parts being posted.

[Mr.Peabody]

@TNutZz

@ThePuke

doubt it, pretty sure the Rams made the divisional round of the play offs that year. Which meant Mcvay wouldn’t have been in Cano until the middle of January

I think the point being made is obviously McVey and Stafford had been talking. They likely didn’t happen to catch eachothers eyes by chance in a romantic Cabo cafe

I also don’t think Brad coming from the Rams is a coincidence. I think it was a major factor in how everything played out with the trade. If anything I think the meeting in Cabo was coincidence or orchestrated (as a part of negotiations). But it wasn’t a driving factor in what went down. Negotiations were well underway when the Cabo meeting happened.

[BigNatty]

@Mr.Peabody

I also don’t think Brad coming from the Rams is a coincidence. I think it was a major factor in how everything played out with the trade.

100% agree

[FreebirdPartDeux]

@Lyonfan1

For what it’s worth…. Stafford was checked out well before Cabo. Not my opinion… February of 2020 a pocket listing came up in Bloomfield- Stafford’s home. It was on the actual mls after the draft had come and went-

My gut says Stafford was adamant about leaving in the 2020 offseason as he tried to secretly sell and love to LA, then when the Lions didn’t trade him during or up to the draft- he became impatient and put his home officially on the market publicly. The story was the water features made them nervous with the kiddos- so logically they spent 5 times the amount to buy a home in Cali with a bigger pool. Stafford left metro Detroit real estate in 2020… he demanded a trade in 2021 and instead of being childish like Quinn and keeping him against his will… DC and Brad let him go.

It has worked out for both sides. Stafford was an asset that Holmes “sold high” and the Lions reaped a substantial benefit from.

[ztonyg]

Brad knew before he got the Lions job 2 things:

1.) That the Rams wanted to move on from Goff.

2.) That Stafford wanted to move on from the Lions.

Brad helped draft Goff. Therefore it doesn’t take much imagination to put two and two together.

The outline of the deal could’ve already been in place before McVay and Stafford went to Cabo.