Upon finding out the Rams had included him in their trade package for Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff said he was “extremely disappointed and upset,” according to Sam Farmer and Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. The five-year veteran has come to better terms with the trade in the days since.
The Rams went from parting with considerable draft capital to acquire Goff over Carson Wentz at No. 1 overall in 2016 to giving him a four-year, $134MM extension in 2019 to being noncommittal about his 2021 status. Goff is now bound for Detroit.
“Ultimately, they wanted to go in a different direction,” Goff said, via Farmer. “As the quarterback, as the guy that’s at arguably the most important position on the field, if you’re in a place that you’re not wanted and they want to move on from you, the feeling’s mutual.
“You don’t want to be in the wrong place. It became increasingly clear that was the case. [The trade] is something that I’m hopeful is going to be so good for my career.”
The Lions were able to pry two first-round picks from the Rams because of the lofty guarantees in Goff’s deal. The Super Bowl LIII starter, at least publicly, has not acknowledged a point where his status in Los Angeles went south. Goff finished 22nd in Total QBR in 2019 and 23rd in 2020, dropping from the Pro Bowl perch on which he resided after his first two seasons with Sean McVay.
“That’s the tough part right now is trying to figure that out, when did that happen?” Goff said. “Those are all conversations that I may or may not have, and try to figure it out. That’s the conversation to have.”
Discussions with Dan Campbell and other members of the Lions’ new regime have led Goff to the reported conclusion he will be the team’s 2021 starter. The Lions will have a non-Stafford primary starting quarterback for the first time since their 0-16 2008 season.
While Detroit will likely be linked to passers with its No. 7 overall pick, the team has Goff under contract through 2024. No easy out from this deal exists until after the 2022 season. A year after the Rams took on more than $33MM in combined dead money from Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks‘ departures, they will eat $22.2MM — a single-contract record — in 2021 because of Goff’s exit.
“[Discussions with Lions brass are] what made me go, ‘oh my God, this is how it’s supposed to feel. This makes me feel great,’ how excited they were, how fired up they were,” Goff said. “… As time has gone on over the last few days, and even the end of that night, it becomes a positive and you start to feel really good about yourself again. You start to feel, I don’t want to say relief is the word, but you start to feel happy, grateful, ready for a new opportunity.”
The Rams do have some interesting stories about QB’s and draft picks. Trading w/ DC letting them get RG, Jumping up for Goff, and then the Stafford deal.
If you are willing to go back further, you have the mismanagement of the Kurt Warner injury/ Marc Bulger situation which set the franchise back for years. Rams would clearly have been better off with Warner those next 6-8 years.
But at least they had Fisher as a head coach for a little while…that helped, right?
certainly, two guarantees from Fisher. there would be a special teams play that would be awesome and unique, and be 8-8 every year.
There is also the Sam Bradford years. The trade of Bradford for Foles too
Happy to hear that Goff is looking forward to the new opportunity and that the Lions are ecstatic to have him. Must feel good to feel wanted.
Gonna make that lions rams game a fun game to watch
Lots of negative stories have come out about Goff since the trade. I wonder how many of them are true?
Like the one how he allegedly said he wants to “pipe” McVay’s woman? Well who wouldn’t?
Goff won’t feel good when he is laying on his back after being repeatedly pounded on with that team. Throw in the new Nut Job coach it will be interesting to watch this team implode.
maybe if he scored a single touch down in the super bowl.
Jared is a great dude and an average player. Physical talent is there, mental not so much. I don’t think he is that smart. His rookie year he was on Hard Knocks and he didn’t know where the sun rose. Seriously. He cannot read defenses and situations when flushed. Poor guys gonna get laid out in Detroit
His happy feet causes a strong armed QB to look scared and unsure of himself.His decision making lately is questionable & his uncanny ability to miss wide open downfield tosses.Once upon a time 16 was fearless and could make every single throw.I wish him the best,he QBed us to a Super Bowl & stayed away from losing streaks.Winning percentage is rt there with anyone in starts.Analytics say yes but my eyes say no on him being the QB to win a Super Bowl in LA.Good Luck and thanks for the memories.We have football again and we are competing hard.Goffs contract cost 2 first to get out of and now the NFL has established the cost of doing business.I predict this will open the flood gates in QB activity around the league.
Lions can “coach up” Goff out of the limelight and help restart his career. Goff should “buy in” to his new team and system and set himself up for success with the Lions and any future team in free agency and trade