Lions Legend Barry Sanders Praises Matthew Stafford After Jared Goff Trade

Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders took to Twitter on Sunday to thank quarterback Matthew Stafford for his 12-year run with the franchise.

The Lions agreed to trade Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-round pick Saturday night, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The deal cannot be completed until the new league year begins March 17.

Stafford and the Lions agreed to part ways after meeting following the end of the 2020 season. Detroit reached the playoffs only three times and never won a postseason game during Stafford's tenure with the franchise.

The 2009 No. 1 overall pick nevertheless leaves the Lions as their all-time leader in every major passing category. 

Detroit's failure to build a winning team around Stafford is far from a new phenomenon. The franchise struggled when Sanders was dazzling as the best running back in football during the 1990s and largely wasted the Stafford-Calvin Johnson connection.

The Lions have not won a playoff game since the 1991 season, their only postseason triumph since the AFL-NFL merger.