Matthew Stafford made trade request for better shot at Super Bowl

Former Lions' QB looking forward to new start in L.A.

In an interview with Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press, quarterback Matthew Stafford discussed his thoughts on making the trade request from the Detroit Lions and his eventual new beginning with the Los Angeles Rams.

The interview is Stafford’s first, on-the-record comments since the blockbuster trade between the Rams and the Lions a few weeks ago. The trade does not become official until the new league year on March 17.

In a meeting with Lions president Rod Wood and owner Sheila Ford Hamp, Stafford said he sought the trade for a better shot at a championship.

“I’ve always wanted to play in those big games,” Stafford told the newspaper. “I feel like I will excel in those situations. I wanted to shoot my shot.”

With the Lions going through their fourth rebuilding project since Stafford had been with the franchise, the 33-year-old rationalized that he could keep the organization around .500, but that the Lions didn’t have enough pieces to turn things around quickly.

“To be honest, Kelly and I probably started talking about it before last season,” Stafford said. “It was one of those things where, you know, we were hoping that, golly, let’s go, I hope this thing takes off and we play great. But if it doesn’t, you just knew what was going to happen. They were going to tear it down and rebuild.

“And anytime you switch GMs and a head coach, you know that they’re going to want to bring their own people in, and that’s going to take time. And I, frankly, didn’t feel like I was the appropriate person to oversee that time.”

Like others around the league, Stafford believed Indianapolis, San Francisco and perhaps Washington were the likely landing spots for his services.

As for the Rams, Stafford said he wasn’t sure if Los Angeles could make it work.

“I just didn’t know how they would ever be able to (pull it off.)” Stafford said. “You know, I’m not a salary cap guru. It kind of got to a point where I’m like, OK, I can’t sit there and go crazy. I just tried to let it happen. And L.A. aggressively jumped into it.”

Stafford and wife Kelly happened to be in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico during the time of the trade, where Rams head coach Sean McVay and offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth were also vacationing.

Stafford said he walked past a hot tub and saw Whitworth in it. According to the report, Whitworth waved at Stafford and joked that his team was going to “make a run” at him.

“Obviously, we were excited for a new start, excited for the whole process of being on the trading block to be over,” Stafford said. “Now we had a place. We knew where we were going. I was excited about their roster and their coaching staff and what they can bring to the table and their recent success.

“But at the same time, it was a close of the door in Detroit. At that moment it was real.”