3 quarterback trades that tell us the value of Kirk Cousins
By Luke Parrish
Trade No. 3
Matthew Stafford shipped to the Los Angeles Rams
The closest value at quarterback that you find to Kirk Cousins comes from Matthew Stafford. Stafford and Cousins have been very similar in terms of overall success and stats throughout their careers, especially as NFC North rivals from Stafford’s time with the Lions.
I’ll be the first to say that Stafford has one of the most impressive arms I have ever seen in the NFL, but that does not mean he has not had his flaws. There has been a lot left on the table from Stafford over his career and his lack of playoff success is worth noting.
The Rams felt they could make a Super Bowl run with Stafford under center – which is certainly plausible right now as they sit in the NFC’s fourth seed. If he wins them a championship, he will be worth every asset that the Rams gave up.
Los Angeles sent two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and a starting quarterback (Jared Goff) to the Lions for Stafford. That is a lot of assets and a starting quarterback for a guy who is pretty close to Cousins in terms of value right now.
You can debate the value of Goff and whether or not the other first-round pick was thrown in so the Lions would take on his contract, but he still played pretty well down the stretch. In his final five games of 2021, Goff passed for 1,136 yards, 11 touchdowns, and just two interceptions while leading his team to a 3-2 record.
Consider what the Lions were up until that point and that was a phenomenal showing from Goff. Getting a quarterback and picks for Stafford should be what the Vikings hope to get out of Cousins.