Stafford has regrets
The Detroit Lions have not had much success in recent years to say the least. They’ve managed just three playoff appearances in 21 seasons and have struggled to put a winning product on the field. Things were supposed to turn around when they selected quarterback Matthew Stafford with the number one overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, but things didn’t exactly go as planned.
Despite being traded to the Los Angeles Rams in March for a package that included Jared Goff, a third-round pick and two first-round picks, Stafford wishes he had been able to get the job done with the franchise that selected him first overall.
“Definitely. I sit there and go, ‘Man, I wish I could’ve gotten it done,’” Stafford told NBC Sports’ Peter King at the Los Angeles Rams’ training camp last week, via SBNation. “I mean, it would’ve been amazing to have a Super Bowl parade down Woodward Avenue in Detroit. Didn’t happen. Tough pill to swallow as a competitor and somebody who touches the ball on every single offensive play. You definitely look back and wish you’d done a few things different here or there in some games, that maybe change the outcomes of seasons.”
While Stafford could hardly be blamed for all of the Lions’ issues on the field, the fact of the matter is that the team was only able to reach the postseason once with Stafford. The quarterback may have regrets about his time in Detroit, but he was quick to request a trade following the 2020 campaign because the 33-year-old did not want to be part of a rebuilding project.
“It’s tough to lose. Everybody knows that. For me, it wasn’t so much that as it was just kind of knowing where the organization was going,” Stafford said. “It was going through a big change with new head coach, new general manager. Gonna be a lot of new players as well. I just felt like the timing was right.”
The Lions finished fourth in the NFC North for the third consecutive season and only managed to muster five wins across the season. It was inevitable that the team was going to start looking towards building for the future and the Stafford trade helps the organization in doing so.
In turn, Stafford has an opportunity to win a Super Bowl with a team that should be much more competitive than the Lions in 2021. The quarterback may have asked for a trade out of Detroit, but he remains adamant that he is just as passionate about the game as ever.
“I don’t think I ever lost it,” he replied when asked by King whether he could have fun playing the game again. “I love playing this game. I love competing,” Stafford said.
The Los Angeles Rams have reached the playoffs in three of the last four seasons, including last year when they were ultimately eliminated by the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round. Stafford is hoping to make his first playoff appearance since the 2016 Wild Card Round when the Lions lost to 26-6 the Seattle Seahawks.
