Despite a successful partnership that included three division championships and a Super Bowl appearance in four seasons, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay thought it was best to move on from quarterback Jared Goff this offseason, dealing him to the Detroit Lions in a blockbuster trade for Matthew Stafford.
The move that was at the beginning of the offseason seemingly came out of nowhere, although there were some rumblings that McVay was unhappy with Goff’s play last season and was ready to move on.
It looked like McVay confirmed that before Thursday’s practice at SoFi Stadium when he stated how happy he is with Stafford, which many took as a shot at Goff, via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN:
“I think I’ve been very happy,” McVay said, upbeat. “Everybody says, ‘Man, you just seem like you’re in a better mood this offseason,’ and I said, ‘You’re damn right I am.'”
After the practice had ended, McVay got wind that everyone thought his comments were aimed at Goff and began his press conference by clarifying what he meant:
“I hate that I even have to say this, but I think I made a comment that was definitely taken out of context,” McVay said as he opened his post-practice news conference, seemingly surprised that reports mentioned the departure of quarterback Jared Goff in conjunction with Stafford’s arrival and the shift in McVay’s mood. “I am very excited. I am in a good mood because of the confidence that I have in this team. But by no means is that a slight to anybody, you know, like Jared, who has done a phenomenal job for the last four years here.”
“I hated that I even have to address that, but I did think out of respect for [Goff] and all the good things that he’s done, I am in a good mood, but that doesn’t mean it’s not because we’re working together or because of just Stafford exclusively,” McVay said. “There’s a lot of good things going on that I feel really good about and I’m confident about, so don’t twist my words when I didn’t say that.”
Regardless of what McVay meant by those comments, I think it’s clear he wants to move on and focus on the Rams’ future, which is very bright with Stafford under center.
Now that he has a quarterback of his choosing though, there will be even more pressure on McVay this season to get the Rams back to the Super Bowl as the roster is certainly talented enough to do so.
