I just go by what was reported as the offer. A first round pick and Teddy Bridgewater? Not even close
Teams don't generally say what they
offered. It mostly comes down to reporter guesses and then other reporters taking those conjectures and running with them.
You dismiss the idea that the Lions organization honored Stafford's request by saying it was the best offer. Yet - no one aside from insiders within teams that were actively working the trade lines really know the details. And they're not running to the press saying, "We offered much more but were turned down." The one fact that we
CAN know is that - as was pretty common knowledge - the Lions ruled out several teams as to not fuck over a player that was the face of their franchise for more than a decade after
HE requested a trade.
Staff wanted to be traded. But he did not want to go to a cellar dweller. The Lions got the best deal they could
WITHIN those constraints. Could they have traded him to the Yets? Technically - yes. But in reality, the Rams were the best situation and Holmes - of all people - knew it. And the fact that Staff came to us after that fortuitous meeting in Cancun should scream that the Rams were favored by him and it's almost zero doubt that he told his agent he wanted to come to LA and to get a deal done.
Bottom line is that players will go to teams for a variety of reasons. Money is definitely one of - if not
THE - biggest reason. But the idea that you know what a team offered a player without the deal being made is just not reality. Hell... We don't generally know what someone got offered on the deal they
DID sign. We only find out the details after both sides have agreed to terms. After the deal is done, players will often say they had other offers and interest, but chose team X. Who knows if that is accurate? The organization he allegedly turned down isn't going to show his cards to the rest of the players at the table.
When you see players getting involved ala Suh, Stafford, OBJ, etc..., there is more than money in the discussion. Players don't negotiate their own contracts. But when it is not all about money for a player, they get involved to essentially interview the team or they get feedback from players on teams they're interested in. You see it all the time with elite players or those that are looking at a late career contract. If this were not the case, there would be absolutely no need for a no trade clause in a contract.
