Jared Goff fought back tears as he discussed the brutal nature of his Los Angeles Rams exit.
The quarterback was shipped off to the Detroit Lions in 2020 as part of the trade that took Matthew Stafford to California — just a year after reaching Super Bowl LIII.
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Goff was one of Dan Campbell’s first big decisions as a head coachCredit: Getty
It has worked out for both, with the Rams lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy two years later and Goff thriving in Motor City.
But the QB was upset at how Los Angeles coach Sean McVay handled his exit.
“Three weeks after the last game of the season, get a call from Sean and really did not expect anything,” he revealed on the new series of Netflix show Quarterback.
“He lets me know they’re trading me to Detroit and I’m like, ‘Whoa, okay, alright. What the hell? What’s happening?’
“I would say about 30 seconds after that phone call, it was on Twitter.
“You feel like you’ve been betrayed, or like you’re not wanted. And I think for me, ultimately it was the fact that there was not a conversation had, and there wasn’t like a, ‘Hey we’re thinking of moving on’ type of thing.
“There was nothing. You wish that it wasn’t such a blindside and that there was some sort of maturity I guess to have that conversation and to be able to let me know what was going on and how things went down, and why this is happening.
“It was my first real taste of true adversity and your career is kind of at a fork in the road.”
Goff was immediately made to feel welcome by Lions general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell.
His voice broke as he discussed the feeling of relief after speaking to his new bosses.
“It kind of brought me from this moment of picking up the pieces to reinvigorated with this energy of, ‘Oh, this is what it feels like to truly be wanted’ and to have these guys behind you and I hadn’t had that in quite some time,” he added.
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Goff was made to feel loved in Detroit
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Goff was shipped away after coming one win from glory in 2019
“People thought I was being cast away for my career to die. And a lot of people in my former organization may have thought that as well.
“To be able to be with a first-time head coach and GM and be able to be the first decision that they made when they got here and prove them right, how great an opportunity is that?
“Sorry, I’m trying not to cry, it’s been so incredible to build with them.”
Goff led the Lions to a first playoff victory since 1992 in a wild-card triumph over the Rams in the 2023 season.
“There’s a little bit extra because it was my old team but to be honest winning a playoff game for this city was so much greater than any personal vindication,” he explains on the first episode of Quarterback.
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The sight of his teammates and coaches chanting his name in the locker room after the victory, highlighted just how important Goff is to Detroit.
Campbell hammered home the point as he declared, ‘You’re good enough for Detroit, Jared Goff’ in a passionate speech.
No wonder Goff now says the greatest thing that ever happened in his career was being traded to the Lions.
After a 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round ended the 2024 season, the next step is getting back to the Super Bowl, having lost to the New England Patriots on the biggest stage at his former team.
He will have to do so without offensive coordinator Ben Johnson — a key part of the Lions’ explosive passing and rushing game — who has taken a head coaching role with the division rival Chicago Bears.
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Michigan native John Morton, who was a senior offensive assistant under Johnson in 2022, has returned to Detroit as his replacement.
It is a positive hire for Goff and his new coordinator plans to work closely with the passer, who has earned the right to be a part of the process.
“I think it’s big because it all starts with the quarterback,” Morton said. “Just kind of knowing him — and when I was here, I was in the quarterback room.
“So, I have a feel of what he likes, what he doesn’t. That’s important as a play-caller. We’ll continue here when the players come back and stuff, so I’ll get to know more about him and the plays that he really likes a lot and what they’ve been doing good here.”
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