DETROIT – The NFL season is just around the corner, and fans are chomping at the bit to get a taste of pigskin as they’re itching for football.
Netflix has scratched that itch as they’ve released “Quarterback” season two on Tuesday (July 8), which took a deep dive into the 2024-25 season of Jared Goff, Joe Burrow, and Kirk Cousins.
All three gentlemen had the same goal at the start of the season: to lead either the Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, or the Atlanta Falcons to Super Bowl LIX inside the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
But each quarterback fell short of achieving the Vince Lombardi Trophy, as Cousins got benched towards the end of the season, Burrow didn’t make the playoffs, and Goff, well, that’s a different story.
Goff and the Lions were riding a wave for most of the season as football fans and pundits alike expected them to win it all, as they were stacked on both sides of the ball.
Goff was the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams and a Super Bowl runner-up in 2018.
Three years later, the Rams traded him to what the media were calling “Siberia,” as the Lions acquired him alongside a bevy of draft picks for quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Stafford went on to win Super Bowl LVI, defeating Burrow and his Bengals 23-20 on Feb. 13, 2022, inside SoFi Stadium.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) shake hands at the end of the NFL Super Bowl 56 football game, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Goff talks being disrespected Rams trade
The Rams felt that Goff couldn’t get them over the hump, so they pulled a blockbuster trade that blindsided Goff.
Goff said he was caught off guard, but the communication from head coach Sean McVay was lacking, which led to him being blindsided.
“So the 2020 season happens, three weeks after the last game of the season, I get a call from Sean, and I really did not expect anything. He let’s me know that they’re trading me to Detroit and I’m not, ‘Oh, OK, what the heck is happening and I would say about 30 seconds after that phone call, it was on Twitter,’” Goff said.
Detroit is dealing QB Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two future first-round picks, a third-round pick and QB Jared Goff, per sources. Two former No. 1 overall picks trading places in the first blockbuster NFL trade of 2021.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 31, 2021
Goff said he felt like he was betrayed and not wanted. The disrespect was that a conversation was not had.
“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,” said Goff. “You wish that it wasn’t such a blindside, and you wish that there was some sort of maturity, I guess, to have that conversation and to be able to let me know what’s going on and how things went down and why this is happening.”
Goff said the whole ordeal was his first taste of adversity as he felt at the time that his career was at a fork in the road.
“The day I got traded, I was at my house with my buddies, and I kept getting this phone call from a number that I don’t have saved, and I’m not answering it as I’m like dealing with some stuff right now. And my agent texted me, ‘Brad’s trying to call you. Just answer that.’ Jared, Jared, thank God we got you on the phone as we’re so excited to have you here.”
Jared Goff
After answering the phone, Goff said Lions General Manager Brad Holmes was out of breath due to his excitement of acquiring him.
“When we got the opportunity to land him, it was a no-brainer because I had an idea of what we were going to start going through and how resilient he was, and I just thought that he would be a good fit for us,” said Holmes.
Goff said Dan Campbell got on the phone and reiterated the same tone of excitement.
“I remember the call and I remember my excitement. I wanted to make sure he understood how excited we were to land him.
How excited I was as he was going to be a part of the foundation, as we are going to build this from the ground up.
You are going to be a huge part of this, and you are ours. You belong with us, and we’re going to be tied to the hip.”
Dan Campbell
The excitement from Campbell and Holmes helped Goff pick up the pieces while reinvigorating him, as Goff said, the moment let him know what it felt like to be wanted.
“This is what it feels like to truly be wanted and to have these guys behind you, as I hadn’t felt that in a long time.”
Goff said he has moved past the situation, but the frustration still lingers.
As for McVay, he later admitted regret over his handling of the situation.
Goff has had the last laugh, though, as the Lions have won two of the previous three matchups against his old team, with a Dec. 14 return awaiting him in Inglewood, California, this season.
Goff’s top target picks the wrong jersey number
Goff led the Lions on a historic run last season as they won consecutive divisional titles, clinched the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye which has never been achieved by organization.
Detroit’s success wasn’t just on the arm of Goff as wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who finished the regular season by earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2023 and 2024.
St. Brown was also voted to the Pro Bowl for three consecutive seasons from 2022 to 2024, as the Lions finished the regular season with a 15-2 record and won 11 straight games.
The four-year pro caught 115 passes for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns while also getting a cake made out of one of his celebrations.
However, during the second episode, it was revealed why St. Brown wears No. 14, as his significant other was having a conversation with Goff’s wife, Christen Harper.
Harper was hosting a gathering for all the players’ wives and girlfriends, where they were stitching the players’ jersey numbers into their clothing.
While discussing the players’ jersey numbers, St. Brown’s girlfriend, Brooklyn Adams, spilled the beans as to why he wears No. 14.
“You know what, he will never admit this, but he asked me to count the number of receivers drafted before him, and that was going to be his number, and I messed up. I told him it was 14 and that’s why he wears 14,” said Adams.
When asked if he knew about the mishap, his response was one for the ages.
“This was early, like right after I got drafted, and I was like, ‘Sure, let’s do it.’ And then I recounted, and I was like, ‘That’s not the right number.’ It’s actually 16 receivers,’” St. Brown said.
These are the 16 wide receivers that were drafted before St. Brown:
No. 5 – Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals)
No. 6 – Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins)
No. 10 – DeVonta Smith (Eagles)
No. 20 – Kadarius Toney (Giants)
No. 27 – Rashod Bateman (Ravens)
No. 34 – Elijah Moore (Jets)
No. 49 – Rondale Moore (Cardinals)
No. 56 – D’Wayne Eskridge (Seahawks)
No. 57 – Tutu Atwell (Rams)
No. 59 – Terrace Marshall Jr. (Panthers)
No. 77 – Josh Palmer (Chargers)
No. 82 – Dyami Brown (Washington Football Team)
No. 85 – Amari Rodgers (Packers)
No. 89 – Nico Collins (Texans)
No. 91 – Anthony Schwartz (Browns)
No. 109 – Dez Fitzpatrick (Titans)
“I should’ve picked 16, but I think Jared looks better in 16 than me,” St. Brown said.
Goff and ex-offensive coordinator Ben Johnson had quite the chemistry
During the Lions’ unimaginable Sunday Night Football matchup vs. the Houston Texans, Goff played one of his lackluster games to date.
Campbell had a premonition that somehow came to fruition as the Lions trailed 23-7 at halftime.
During a sideline interview with the NBC broadcast, Campbell discussed eating into the 16-point deficit and how his defense needed to start generating takeaways.
“We have one error here or there,” said Campbell. If we cut that out, we will be fine. And we got to have takeaways. Our defense got to have takeaways. We‘re not going to get it all at once here, so just one at a time, we’ll do that.”
At that moment, the broadcast switched from Campbell to the snap of the first play to open the third quarter, when Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a pass to wide receiver Tank Dell.
But former Lions cornerback Carlton Davis miraculously made an impromptu interception to spark the second-half comeback.
Detroit went on to shut out the Texans in the second half to complete the immaculate 26-23 comeback victory, becoming the first team to win a game after trailing by 15 or more points with five interceptions or more since the Baltimore Colts beat the Chicago Bears in 1970.
Goff didn’t help out his defense much as he threw a career-high five interceptions under the lights.
Texas native Jake Bates kicked two pivotal field goals past the goal post to tie the game and later walked off the Texans in front of his friends and family.
Detroit Lions place kicker Jake Bates (39) kicks a 58-yard field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith) (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
“In that moment, it’s a bad feeling, and at the end of the game, we knew that he was going to have some big plays for us to win that game,” said Johnson.
It was after the thrilling comeback when cameras captured Goff asking for the “Wasp” play.
No one could hear him, including Johnson, who is now the head coach of the Chicago Bears.
Yet Johnson called the same play from the sideline, which was a double move route to tight end Sam LaPorta, which resulted in a significant gain that sparked the comeback.
Speaking of the Bears, there was also a deep dive into “Stumblebum.”
On the Monday before Christmas week, Goff said he visited Johnson’s office to get an idea of what he liked for the week.
Goff said Johnson showed him the actual play during a Green Bay Packers matchup vs. the Bears during Week 1 of the 2023 season.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love actually fumbled the ball and continued to run the play, hitting tight end Luke Musgrave down the left sideline for a huge gain.
“He was like, ‘Do you think you can do this?’ I was like, ‘What do you mean? Like you want me to fumble? I’ve never done that before, but I can try,’“ Goff said.
Goff continued:
“That was on Monday, and by Wednesday, we decided that we were not going to put the ball on the ground. We were going to fake it by selling a fall, and I was like, ‘No problem,’” Goff said.
The Lions decided that if the play was going to work then the running back neded to fall and the whole offensive line had to yell “Fumble.”
That play led to Goff’s 33 touchdowns, the most of his career, as he hit LaPorta in the back of the endzone.
Goff owes punter Jack Fox a year’s worth of beer
The Lions go on to dismantle the Minnesota Vikings inside Ford Field in Week 18 and lock up the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Amid confetti and excitement, Lions punter Jack Fox walked over to Goff and said, “Free beer for a year.”
“I bet Jack Fox at the beginning of the year. I said, ‘If you lead the league in net punting, I’ll get you Bud Light for a year.’ and right after the game, he said, ‘You owe me Bud Light for a year,’” Goff said.
For those that are counting, Fox did finish first in the National Football League in net punting with a 45.8-yard average.
Christen Harper’s emotional rollercoaster in Detroit
Harper and Goff were featured for the majority of the seven-episode series.
She had some key moments like protecting Goff from falling off the ledge of his bookstand as he put the star atop their Christmas tree, which I’m sure put a smile on the Lions organization’s face once that scene was aired.
Or showing off their future baby’s heartbeat on an ultrasound.
Their baby news was announced to the world on Feb. 6, 2025, when Goff was nominated for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player and the Man of the Year awards.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and wife Christen are expecting their first child. (Copyright 2025 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.)
Besides the baby news and her playing, saving Goff from slipping off the ledge was when she shared her heartbreak during the Lions’ Divisional Round loss to the Washington Commanders.
As Goff continued to hit Michigan Wolverines national champion Mike Sainristil with straight dimes, as the season was slipping away, Harper expressed the same emotion as the rest of the lifelong Lions fans.
Harper was sitting in her suit, ready to celebrate until she broke down crying, saying, “I just can’t believe we’re not going to be here next weekend. It is like like, God, it sucks so bad.”
–> Delta Air Lines increases flights for Detroit Lions fans during away games in 2025 season
–> Faygo teams up with Detroit Lions’ dynamic duo for summer citywide campaign
–> Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos owners launch Motor City Golf Club in TGL expansion
–> Detroit Lions unveil 2025 schedule: Toughest opponents, primetime showdowns ahead
–> From felines to big cats: Detroit Lions first-round pick Tyleik Williams talks love for cats
–> All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown shares journey from childhood to NFL stardom with Kevin Hart
Copyright 2025 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.