The partnership between Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff came to an end this offseason now that the latter has been dealt to the Detroit Lions.
The pair enjoyed plenty of success in their four seasons together. McVay inherited Goff as his franchise quarterback back in 2017 and helped develop him from a potential bust into a two-time Pro Bowler.
However, the Rams’ shortcomings under center spurred them to seek out other options in the form of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. While Goff’s underwhelming performance was a primary factor, McVay is not dismissing his part that led to the decision.
According to Gary Klein of the L.A. Times, McVay feels there were situations that he could have done a better job with Goff as the quarterback:
“When you look back on the four years that we did have together, there’s a lot of times you can smile on,” McVay said. “And I would say there’s a lot of things that when I self-reflect, I certainly wish I was better for him in some instances.
“I’m not going to run away from the things that I could have been better for him as a leader and as a coach. But there was a lot of really good things that occurred from ’17 and on that I think we can eventually really have a much better appreciation for.”
McVay added that there are still some play calls that he would like to have back:
“I’m not going to make any excuses about it, but there’s a lot of things, even some of the decision making in games. Are you consistently putting him in the right positions to be successful? “
And so, as a coach, as a leader, your job is to try to make situations and people you’re around better, and there are certainly some moments that I know I could have done better really for our team and for Jared in particular.”
McVay’s comments hardly come as any surprise considering he has never been one to pass up on an opportunity to take accountability. Of course, it is safe to say that he is hardly the only coach to feel that way about their previous signal-callers.
The Rams are less than two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance that helped solidify Goff’s massive contract extension that included $110 million guaranteed. Despite seemingly doubling down on him as the long-term option, the prospect of replacing him with a quarterback of Stafford’s caliber was too good for the front office to pass up.
The limitations on Goff’s skill set were on full display when he was replaced by dual-threat backup John Wolford. It will be interesting to see whether or not Stafford’s gunslinger reputation will lead to fewer regrets for McVay.
