Former No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff’s five-year tenure with the Los Angeles Rams has come to an end as the team reportedly traded him to the Detroit Lions with three draft picks for Matthew Stafford.
The timing of the deal this early in the offseason came as a bit of a surprise, although the Rams had made it clear over the last couple of weeks that they had lost trust in Goff and were looking to upgrade at the quarterback position.
Not only are they getting that with Stafford, but they also were able to unload Goff’s four-year contract that still has $105 million in guaranteed money remaining on it. It did not come cheap though, as the Lions are getting a motivated, 26-year-old quarterback that has already been to a Super Bowl, as well as first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 and a third-rounder this year.
Goff had the chance to speak for the first time after news of the trade came out, and he is excited to play for the Lions, via Michael Silver of NFL Network:
I spoke to Jared Goff after he was traded to the Lions. He told me, "I'm just excited to be somewhere that I know wants me and appreciates me." Column coming later today, and we'll have more on @nflnetwork at 6 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Pacific @AroundTheNFL
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 31, 2021
More from Jared Goff: He feels like he's the right guy to take the Lions where they want to go. "I’m moving forward and couldn’t be more excited to build a winner there. I’m excited about Dan (Campbell) and the whole staff." Column to come. @nflnetwork @AroundTheNFL @Lions
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 31, 2021
While the Lions have the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft and could take a quarterback, they reportedly view Goff as their starter in 2021. General manager Brad Holmes came from the Rams, so he is very familiar with Goff’s game and what he brings to the table.
The reason the Rams made this trade was because of Goff’s inability to take care of the ball during his time with the team. He will now get a fresh start and the opportunity to prove that he is a top-tier quarterback in the NFL, which will be no easy task without Sean McVay and the high-end talent that the Rams have and the Lions lack.
A new era is set to begin with Stafford in L.A. though, and the hope is that he will be able to do what Goff couldn’t, which is put the Rams over the top to win a Super Bowl.
