The Stafford and Watson trades are secretly connected
The two defining blockbuster trades of the 2020s — Matthew Stafford to the Rams in January 2021, Deshaun Watson to the Browns in March 2022 — are usually told as separate stories. But follow the draft picks far enough and the two trees grow into each other. Three picks crossed between them, all changing hands on a single draft day: April 27, 2023.
The hinge: Detroit and Arizona swap first-rounders
On day one of the 2023 draft, the Lions and Cardinals made a first-round swap. Detroit moved down from No. 6 to No. 12, picking up Arizona's No. 34 and No. 168 along the way. Both first-rounders in that deal had long custody chains behind them — and each chain led back to one of the decade's mega-deals.
Pick No. 12: Cleveland's pick becomes a Lion
The No. 12 overall pick started as Cleveland's. The Browns sent it to Houston on March 18, 2022, as part of the Deshaun Watson package. A year later, on draft day 2023, Houston flipped it to Arizona — and Arizona immediately sent it to Detroit in the first-round swap.
Detroit used it to select Jahmyr Gibbs, the running back who became the engine of the Lions' offense. So the pick Cleveland surrendered for Watson, two years and three teams later, became one of the best young running backs in football — wearing Honolulu blue.
Cleveland → Houston → Arizona → Detroit. Four teams, one pick, one star.
Pick No. 6: the Rams' pick becomes a Cardinal
The other first-rounder in the swap started in Los Angeles. The Rams sent their 2023 first-round pick to Detroit on January 30, 2021, as part of the Matthew Stafford deal (along with Jared Goff and two more picks). Detroit held it for two years, then sent it to Arizona in that same draft-day swap.
Arizona used it to select Paris Johnson Jr., the Ohio State tackle who became the Cardinals' franchise left tackle. The Rams' Super Bowl–winning gamble, paid for in part with a pick that became a cornerstone for someone else.
Los Angeles → Detroit → Arizona. Two years, one pick, one cornerstone.
The third pick nobody talks about
Detroit's own 2023 third-rounder (No. 81) rode along in the same Arizona–Detroit deal, then moved again the next day: Arizona → Tennessee, who selected Tyjae Spears. Three picks, three starters, one draft-day chain linking both mega-trees.
Why this is the whole point of trade trees
Either trade looks simple in isolation: player for picks. But picks are currency — they get re-spent. The Watson tree doesn't end when Houston receives Cleveland's picks; it keeps going through Arizona and Detroit until the pick becomes someone. That's what the custody graph is for: every hop, every re-trade, until the pick turns into a player.
Explore the full chains:
About this article: it was drafted with AI assistance from the Football Trade Trees database and public reporting, then reviewed by a human editor. Spot an error? Email contact@footballtradetrees.com.