How Sean McVay landed on Matthew Stafford as Rams quarterback

The story of how Matthew Stafford ended up as the Los Angeles Rams quarterback is one of unbelievable coincidence. As FOX NFL’s Jay Glazer detailed, it all happened during a chance meeting in Cabo.

“Sean McVay was down in Cabo and Matthew Stafford just happened to go down coincidentally and check in to the same place,” Glazer explained. “At the time, Stafford is already allowed to talk to other teams. The Lions gave him permission to look elsewhere. Those guys started hanging out. They went to the hot tub, they went to dinner and Sean McVay and Matt Stafford absolutely fell in love with each other. Stafford said, ‘That’s the place I want to go.’ Just 36 hours later, Sean McVay turns around and says, ‘You’re looking at the newest member of the Los Angeles Rams.'”

Stafford was looking to find a new team after it became clear the opportunity to win in Detroit was waning. The Rams gave up quite a bit — quarterback Jared Goff, a third-round pick and two first-round picks — to acquire Stafford.

He will make his LA debut Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. ET against the Chicago Bears. He faces a defense that ranked 11th in the NFL in yards allowed in 2020.

Stafford threw for more than 4,000 yards to go with 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as Detroit went 5-11 this past season. He joins a Rams team with a talented receiving corps that includes Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods.

Los Angeles finished its 2020 season with a 10-6 record and lost in the divisional round of the playoffs to the Green Bay Packers. The Rams were searching for a new quarterback as Goff had failed to live up to their expectations.

Thanks to a chance meeting between Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford during the offseason, they finally have their guy. Stafford, too, has an opportunity to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. It’s a win-win situation all around.