Joe Barry, Chris Harris, Ejiro Evero On Packers’ DC Radar
The Packers will soon replace Mike Pettine as defensive coordinator, and some early candidates emerged Sunday night. Green Bay plans to interview or already has met with new Chargers defensive passing-game coordinator Joe Barry, Washington secondary coach Chris Harris and Rams safeties coach Ejiro Evero, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
Matt LaFleur has ties to two of these assistants. Barry, who served as Washington’s defensive coordinator from 2015-20, was with LaFleur in Los Angeles during the 2017 season. The Chargers just hired Barry from L.A., where he spent the past four seasons as the Rams’ linebackers coach. Barry interviewed for the Rams’ DC post last year, one Brandon Staley landed, and committed to follow Staley to the Chargers earlier this month.
Also overlapping with LaFleur in 2017, Evero has been on Sean McVay‘s staff throughout his tenure. He has served as Los Angeles’ safeties coach since McVay’s 2017 arrival. This marks his first known opportunity to interview for a defensive coordinator job. Evero leaving L.A. would continue a mass exodus of Rams coaches and staffers. The young assistant has a brief history with the Packers, having served as a quality control staffer with the franchise in 2016.
Harris was up for the Eagles’ DC position, but Nick Sirianni opted to hire ex-Colts coworker Jonathan Gannon for the post. Harris spent last season as Washington’s DBs coach. The former NFL safety spent the previous four seasons with the Chargers, working as their assistant secondary coach.
The Packers ended Pettine’s three-year DC tenure late this week. The former Browns HC declined an extension last year and saw his contract expire. He was a holdover from Mike McCarthy‘s final Green Bay staff. However LaFleur proceeds with Pettine’s replacement, his staff will now include three coordinators he hired.
Stafford Did Not Want Trade To Patriots?
Although the Lions employ several former Patriots, their centerpiece player is not believed to have wanted to travel the other way in this recently formed pipeline.
Matthew Stafford informed the Lions he did not want to be traded to the Patriots, according to Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston. Other than a trade to New England, Stafford expressed flexibility about his destination, Curran adds. The Rams agreed to acquire the soon-to-be 33-year-old passer for a major haul Saturday night.
The Patriots were interested in acquiring Stafford, Michael Giardi of NFL.com notes. More than six teams sent the Lions offers for Stafford; it is unclear if any Pats-Lions talks progressed to that point.
While the Patriots are undisputedly this century’s most successful franchise and still employ arguably the greatest coach in NFL history in Bill Belichick, the team is low on intriguing skill-position players. Stafford is believed to have preferred a deal to Los Angeles, which presents usual recruiting advantages for free agents and trade candidates. In addition to those advantages, the Rams have two higher-end wideouts signed long-term and multiple promising young running backs.
New England does hold plenty of cap space, being projected to possess nearly $60MM — and that is if the NFL slots the cap at the previously determined $175MM floor. That could create an opportunity for the Pats, in an offseason when few teams will have considerable space. But they will need to look elsewhere for their quarterback answer, with Stafford bound for L.A.
Rams Made Push For Aaron Rodgers Trade
Prior to prying Matthew Stafford from the Lions for a considerable haul of draft picks, the Rams are believed to have attempted to acquire a higher-profile NFC North quarterback.
The trade-happy franchise “made a run” at landing Aaron Rodgers, Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times said during an NFL Network appearance (video link). The Packers, however, insisted they do not plan to trade their future Hall of Fame passer. It is not clear if any offer emerged for Rodgers.
Rodgers’ comments after Green Bay’s NFC championship game loss opened the door to immediate speculation regarding his future, and the decorated quarterback said during the 2020 offseason that finishing his career elsewhere may be the realistic scenario due to the Packers trading up for Jordan Love. Many around the league believe he wants out of Green Bay.
The Rams have not been shy about pulling the trigger on blockbuster trades under GM Les Snead. This one would have ventured to a different level, given Rodgers’ accomplishments and recent level of play. Rodgers is under contract through the 2023 season, though the 37-year-old superstar may now want another new deal.
Stafford will provide Sean McVay with a considerable upgrade in QB talent and will head to Los Angeles for his age-33 season. While Rodgers will turn 38 near the end of next season, he has said he would like to play well into his 40s and showed this past season he remains in elite form. That form was on display in both playoff games, including an efficient divisional-round performance against the Rams. But the Packers, who said earlier this week they were “not idiots” and will be holding onto their franchise quarterback, would be left with only Love as a viable starter on their roster were they to trade Rodgers. It is not clear yet if Love would qualify as such in 2021; he did not take a snap this season.
The Rodgers-Green Bay saga clearly is not over, especially with Love on the roster, but the team was not ready to deal with the Rams — a team that does not hold a 2021 first-round pick.
Lions Had 6+ Offers For Matthew Stafford
The Lions agreed to trade Matthew Stafford to the Rams over the weekend, but not before mulling more than six offers in total, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (Twitter links). A few of those packages included a 2021 first-rounder. Ultimately, the Lions opted for two future first-round picks, plus Jared Goff‘s outsized contract. 
The Lions’ choice may reflect some level of confidence in Goff, who has struggled mightily since signing a four-year, $134MM extension with the Rams. Meanwhile, the Rams have secured a clear upgrade at the QB position for the here-and-now. Of course, the deal also shows exactly how hard it was for the Rams to unload Goff’s contract. The Rams mortgaged the future even further with this blockbuster, sacrificing their 2022 and 2023 first-rounders, plus a 2021 third-round pick. They’ll also be saddled with $22.2MM in dead money, while saving $12.4MM on his ’21 cap hit.
At one point, it was reported that 10-12 teams had expressed interest in Stafford. The 49ers – with a once-promising and highly-paid QB of their own — were among the rumored suitors, though it’s not clear if they were among the finalists. At the end of the day, the Rams outbid everyone else, landing the soon-to-be 33-year-old and escaping one of the league’s largest commitments all at once. The Lions, now led by ex-Rams exec Brad Holmes, will have ample ammunition as they remake their roster. As for the Rams — they’ll be without their original first-round pick until 2024, at the earliest.
Rams’ Matthew Stafford To Play On Current Contract
The Rams pulled off a weekend blockbuster, acquiring Matthew Stafford from the Lions in exchange for Jared Goff and a sizable draft haul. And, after escaping Goff’s monster contract, the Rams and Stafford agreed to keep the veteran’s contract as-is (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). 
Stafford has two years and $43MM to go on his deal, and that’s how it’ll stay, even though the market has advanced since he last put pen to paper. For the soon-to-be 33-year-old, finding the best possible fit was more important than money, Rapoport hears.
That’s not to say that the Rams are viewing Stafford as a short-term option. Stafford’s coming off of a solid individual season that included nearly 4,100 passing yards with 26 touchdowns versus ten interceptions. Even at his advanced age, it’s clear that he has plenty left in the tank. Also, the Rams will have significantly less draft capital moving forward, even if they do have an inclination to upgrade under center. Rams GM Les Snead shipped away the team’s 2022 and 2023 first-round picks to dump Goff’s deal. In total, that makes seven consecutive first-round picks traded since Goff’s selection in 2016.
Stafford leaves Detroit with the Lions’ franchise records for passing yards and touchdowns. He also leaves town with a losing record in his 165 starts. Now, he has his best chance to win in ages, and he’ll gladly do it with a below-market contract.
Lions Trade Matthew Stafford To Rams For Jared Goff
The Lions have agreed to trade Matthew Stafford to the Rams, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The deal will send the Lions’ longtime star to L.A. in exchange for fellow QB Jared Goff, plus a slew of draft picks. The exact terms of the trade could evolve in the coming weeks, but here’s what the trade currently looks like: 
Rams receive:
- QB Matthew Stafford
Lions receive:
- QB Jared Goff
- 2021 third-round pick
- 2022 first-round pick
- 2023 first-round pick
The deal cannot become official until March 17th, though Stafford will surely be in contact with his new bosses much sooner. Stafford, soon to be 33, had spent all 12 of his NFL seasons in Detroit. When Stafford and the Lions agreed to go their separate ways, the Colts, Patriots, Broncos, and Washington TBDs were quickly connected to him. Ultimately, the Rams pounced on their chance to upgrade at the QB position and unload Goff’s contract in a historic swap of former No. 1 overall picks.
Goff earned Pro Bowl nods in Year 2 and Year 3 of his pro career, including a 2018 campaign where was under center for a Super Bowl appearance. Things have tailed off over the past two years, despite his high-priced extension. In 2019, he threw a career-high 16 interceptions. He followed that up with just 20 passing touchdowns in 2020 — the lowest total since his rookie year, when he started in just seven games.
Stafford, meanwhile, has fallen short of the 20-TD mark just once since 2011. Aside from his injury-filled 2019 campaign with just 19 passing touchdowns, he’s been an absolute rock for the Lions. The Rams are now set to add one of the game’s top quarterbacks to one of the league’s most talented rosters.
The Lions, meanwhile, will try their hand with Goff, who won’t turn 27 until October. Not long removed from his NFC title — or his No. 1 overall selection, for that matter — there’s reason to believe that Goff can get back on track. Even if he can’t, the Lions have tons of draft ammunition to work with in their rebuild.
Rams Shopping QB Jared Goff?
Raise your hand if you saw this one coming. Following news from last night that Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford would welcome a trade to the Rams, we’re now hearing that Los Angeles is shopping around their incumbent signal-caller. Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports that the Rams have held “exploratory talks with multiple teams” regarding a Jared Goff trade.
[RELATED: Rams In Play For Matthew Stafford?]
From a financial perspective, trading Goff is easier said than done. As Rodrigue explains, the Rams would be stuck with $22.2MM in dead money if they were to trade the former first-overall pick. However, a trade would be more palatable if it took place after June 1, as the Rams would be left with only $6.8MM in dead money (plus another $15.4MM in dead cap in 2022). As our own Sam Robinson pointed out last night, releasing Goff is also unrealistic. The guarantees in the quarterback’s four-year, $134MM deal go through 2022, and the organization doesn’t have an easy out on that contract until 2023. While Stafford has base salaries of just $9.5MM and $12.5MM over the next two years, Goff’s contract certainly complicates any potential trade.
After earning Pro Bowl nodes in his sophomore and junior seasons (including a 2018 campaign where he helped guide the Rams to a Super Bowl loss), Goff has seemingly plateaued over the past two years. He tossed a career-high 16 interceptions in 2019, and his 20 passing touchdowns in 2020 was the lowest total since his rookie year (when he started only seven games). For comparison’s sake, Stafford has tossed fewer than 20 touchdowns only once since 2011, and that came during a 2019 campaign where he compiled 19 passing touchdowns in only eight games.
As Sam noted last night, Rams head coach Sean McVay and GM Les Snead have recently made comments indicating Goff’s status is less than secure. Rodrigue also notes that there’s a connection between the Rams’ and Lions’ front offices; new Lions GM Brad Holmes previously served as the Rams’ director of college scouting. Now ,that’s not to say that any Goff trade would necessarily involve the Lions; considering Detroit’s apparent desire to restart, it doesn’t seem that Goff would be a fit in any hypothetical Stafford-to-Los Angeles deal. Still, the connection between the front offices is too obvious to ignore.
Rams Unlikely To Keep Brown, Reynolds
- Big expenses at the top of the Rams‘ payroll have forced the team to let several role players walk in recent offseasons. This year may be no exception. The Rams are unlikely to re-sign Josh Reynolds, Malcolm Brown or Gerald Everett, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic notes (subscription required). The Rams having drafted contributors at these positions in 2020, and having two wideouts (Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods) and a tight end (Tyler Higbee) signed long-term already, pointed this trio to free agency.
Rams In Play For Matthew Stafford?
Add a team to the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes. The Rams, who have done well to distance themselves from Jared Goff recently, are exploring a deal for the Lions passer.
The Rams are looking into possibilities of a Stafford move, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who adds Stafford views the team as a contender for a potential trade (Twitter link).
Any Rams dissatisfaction with Goff would be secondary to the current Los Angeles starter’s contract, however. The guarantees in Goff’s four-year, $134MM deal go through 2022. The team does not have an easy out on that contract until 2023, with a 2020 Goff restructure putting more money on future years of this deal. The Rams would be tagged with a staggering $65MM if they released Goff; trading the inconsistent passer would cost the team $22MM.
Sean McVay and GM Les Snead have made comments indicating Goff’s status is less than secure, pointing to the Rams exploring a replacement. As of now, they plan to hold a competition between Goff and backup John Wolford.
A deal to an NFC team would be less likely than the Lions sending Stafford to the AFC, where there are also teams that make sense for the 32-year-old quarterback. The Patriots, Colts and Broncos add up as AFC Stafford suitors, and a recent report indicated the Lions can expect to collect a first-round pick for the 12-year veteran. The Rams do not have a first-round pick this year, having sent it to the Jaguars for Jalen Ramsey. Nevertheless, it appears the Rams are one of the 10-12 teams that have contacted the Lions about Stafford.
There is a newly formed connection between the Rams and Lions, however. The Lions just hired former Rams college scouting director Brad Holmes as their GM, with ex-Rams pro scouting director Ray Agnew now in place as Lions assistant GM. Still, the Rams’ top pick in this year’s draft comes at No. 57. The team has not made a first-round pick since trading up for Goff in 2016.
Lions Add Dave Fipp, Aubrey Pleasant To Staff
Dan Campbell‘s first Lions staff is taking shape. They hired the third of their 2021 coordinators this week, announcing longtime Eagles special teams coordinator Dave Fipp will take the same position in Detroit.
The Lions are also hiring Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant as secondary coach, according to NFL.com’s Steve Wyche (on Twitter), and ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets new Lions linebackers coach Mark DeLeone will come over from the Bears.
Fipp coached the Eagles’ special teams units throughout Chip Kelly and Doug Pederson‘s tenures, beginning that run in 2013. In that time, Philly’s 12 return touchdowns ranked second in the league. Fipp has been an NFL assistant since the 2008 season. This includes time with Campbell in Miami. The two coached together with the Dolphins from 2011-12.
Pleasant represents an interesting get for the Lions. Washington attempted to promote Pleasant ahead of the 2017 season, but he left for Los Angeles. During that time, he interviewed for the Bengals’ DC job — one Lou Anarumo landed — in 2019 and oversaw the development of Rams corners Troy Hill and Darious Williams. The Jalen Ramsey sidekicks each ranked as top-30 corners, per Pro Football Focus, alongside Ramsey this past season. Pleasant will join ex-Rams staffers Brad Holmes and Ray Agnew — the Lions’ new GM and assistant GM, respectively — in trekking from southern California to Michigan.
DeLeone spent the past two seasons as Chicago’s inside linebackers coach under Chuck Pagano, overseeing the development of Roquan Smith, and was with the Chiefs from 2013-18 under then-Kansas City DC Bob Sutton. Additionally, the Lions are expected to retain tight ends coach Ben Johnson, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter).