Do Commanders Regret Not Trading For Matthew Stafford?

Washington GM Martin Mayhew nearly traded for the Rams' quarterback last offseason

Jeremy Brener | Feb 4, 2022

Washington Commanders general manager Martin Mayhew will watch the Super Bowl with a nagging thought in the back of his mind: "What if?"

Just over a year ago the Los Angeles Rams beat out the Washington Football Team, among other suitors, to trade for Matthew Stafford. They sent former No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff, two future first-round picks and a 2021 third-round pick to the Detroit Lions to acquire their new starting quarterback.

After making the deal, the Rams find themselves just one win away from the franchise's first Super Bowl championship since 1999. How close was Washington to landing Stafford?

The Commanders reportedly offered the Lions its first-round pick from 2021 (No. 19) along with a third-round pick and a current starter for Stafford.

USATSI_17591631 — Gary A. Vazquez/USA Today Sports

USATSI_17553832 — Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports

USATSI_17553943 — Kim Klement/USA Today Sports

The risk the Rams took was massive, but so far, it's paying off. In order to win in the NFL, general managers have to take "big swings" with their roster. Win Super Bowl LVI and the Rams will officially be the winners of the trade.

A loss would send the Rams back to the drawing board and have them try again next season. But by trading for Stafford - and making "all-in" deals to acquire Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller - the they have improved and put themselves in Super Bowl-contender conversations for the immediate future.

There are a lot of similarities between the Rams and Commanders.

The Rams were strong on defense, but struggled on offense. The same can be said about the Commanders, despite the unit's struggles in 2021.

If you take out Taylor Heinicke and insert Stafford, maybe Washington would have made the playoffs this season and we'd have a whole different outlook on how this past season went.

Published Feb 4, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.