At 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the official 2021 NFL league year began, and just about everybody expected that the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams would make official a trade that we have known was coming for a long time.
That trade was the Lions sending Matthew Stafford to the Rams in exchange for Jared Goff and a trio of draft picks.
Well, on Thursday morning, the trade became official but why was it not announced on Wednesday?
The reason is pretty awesome.
According to Tom Pelissero, Goff had a $2.5 million roster bonus due on the second day of the new league year, which is today. The Rams, as a parting gift to Goff, requested the trade not become official until today so they could give him the extra $2.5 million.
Why did the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff trade become official today, not yesterday?
Goff had a $2.5 million roster bonus due on the second day of the league year, which is today. The #Rams agreed to pay it as part of the trade to the #Lions, per source. A parting gift from L.A.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 18, 2021
This is how a good organization takes care of its players and former players. Take note, Lions!
