NFC Notes: 49ers, Lions, Rams

49ers

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes veteran QB Matthew Stafford‘s preferred trade destinations were the Rams, 49ers and Colts in that order, though the Lions weren’t going to take a bad offer to accommodate that. 
• San Francisco touched base with Detroit at the Senior Bowl, but Breer says he got the sense San Francisco was more lukewarm on other teams. When the bidding started to heat up, the 49ers backed out. 
• Breer adds the 49ers didn’t seem willing to offer the No. 12 overall pick in a deal and that’s because they’re fine going forward with QB Jimmy Garoppolo in 2021. 
• NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo confirms that keeping Garoppolo in 2021 is high on the 49ers’ list of potential options at quarterback next year. 
• Packers senior analyst Butch Barry is joining the 49ers as their new assistant OL coach. (Ryan Wood)

Lions

A few signs have been building that the Lions are strapping in for a long rebuild. New HC Dan Campbell was given a six-year contract, the team granted QB Matthew Stafford‘s trade request and was willing to take first-round picks two and three years into the future. On Saturday morning before the trade, Campbell essentially confirmed the team is taking the long view.

“[GM] Brad [Holmes] and I, I’m not kidding you, we are looking 2 years out, 3 years out. And so everything to me starts 2 years out and it doesn’t start right now,” Campbell said via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

“I’m not as concerned about trying to find the high-priced free agent, the No. 1 guy on the board,” Campbell continued. “Most teams might do that because that’s the guy that might put them over the edge. As much as I would love to believe that we’re that close, we’re probably not that close. It doesn’t mean that we’re not going to win, it just means that we’ve got a ways to go and why would we use that capital when we could add a couple of guys that have a little more grit and they fit what we’re doing and maybe they’re not quite as polished?”

• NBC Sports’ Peter King says his impression is the Lions wanted QB Jared Goff as more than just a bridge quarterback and view him as a potential franchise starter. New GM Brad Holmes was obviously with him in Los Angeles and a big part of the Rams trading up to pick him No. 1 overall in 2016. 
• NFL Media’s Peter Schrager echoes this sentiment and claims the Lions don’t see Goff as a throw-in or a contract dump. 
• King adds that at least one other team had an offer on the table for Stafford that included two first-round picks and did not stretch them as far into the future as the Rams did. 
• This is just speculation on our part, but the Bears were reportedly interested in Stafford and would have needed a huge offer to entice Detroit to trade him within the NFC North. 

Rams

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes veteran QB Matthew Stafford‘s preferred trade destinations were the Rams, 49ers and Colts in that order, though the Lions weren’t going to take a bad offer to accommodate that. 
• He adds the Rams’ initial offer was their 2022 first-round pick, QB Jared Goff and an additional pick, which wasn’t viewed as the leading offer. 
• Breer mentions both Stafford and Rams HC Sean McVay were vacationing in Cabo, Mexico, with their significant others, which allowed the two to get some face time together while their teams worked out a trade and have a celebratory dinner together after it was finalized. 
• McVay was one of the biggest advocates for pushing hard to get Stafford after doing a quick tape study on him with GM Les Snead. That helped the Rams elevate their offer to the final framework and beat out the competition. 
• In fact, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said a source described McVay as becoming “fixated” on Stafford. Florio adds the thinking in some league circles is McVay wants to reinvigorte his offensive genius label and blames Goff for it being tarnished recently. 
• Money was not much of a factor for Stafford, per NBC Sports’ Peter King, so he won’t push for a raise or extension this year and is content playing for $20 million in 2021. 
• It wasn’t the deciding factor, but King notes Stafford was much more interested in going to the Rams than to the Panthers or Broncos.