The narrative surrounding the Los Angeles Rams and Jared Goff isn’t exactly as it’s often told. For years, the media has painted Goff as a sympathetic figure—overcoming adversity and leading the Detroit Lions—while making the Rams out to be villains who betrayed him by trading for Matthew Stafford.
Season 2 of Netflix’s Quarterback starts off by tugging at your emotions and making you feel sorry for Goff…
“After the 2020 season, three weeks later, I got a call from [Rams coach] Sean [McVay], not expecting anything. He tells me they’re trading me to Detroit and I’m like, ‘Whoa, alright… what is happening?’ Thirty seconds later, it’s all over Twitter.”
Back in 2018, after a 13-3 Super Bowl LIII loss to the Patriots, the Rams handed Goff a huge contract extension—four years, $134 million ($110M guaranteed), the most guaranteed money ever given to a QB at that time.
And how did Goff follow up over the next two seasons? Let’s compare 2017-18 Goff with 2019-20 Goff…
The reality is that Jared Goff regressed—and he only has himself to blame. He never truly owned that drop-off. Sure, he said the right things about needing to improve. But there was no urgency or extra drive after his extension. Compare that to Aaron Donald, who elevated his play after getting paid.
Goff couldn’t even beat a Jets team that was 0-13 in 2020. What made anyone think he was going to take the Rams back to the Super Bowl anytime soon?
Let’s also stop pretending Goff was mistreated by Sean McVay. McVay coached him hard—as any good coach would. Playing QB means owning your play. Dan Campbell coaches Goff hard now. And yet, Goff seemed much more accountable during the Quarterback docuseries…
No head coach wants a quarterback who lacks fire. Was McVay too open about Goff’s flaws? Possibly. But was his frustration justified? Definitely.
Also, remember the leaked message Goff sent in a group chat about McVay’s partner?
Tell me—how many NFL coaches would want to keep coaching a quarterback making comments like that behind their back?
And for those saying the Goff-Stafford trade was a wash—one team has a Super Bowl. The other still doesn’t. The difference? Stafford delivers in clutch games. Goff doesn’t.
Look at 2021—Stafford engineered three game-winning drives in the playoffs, including the Super Bowl. Here’s their LA playoff numbers…
In Quarterback Season 2, Goff says he wishes the Rams had handled things with more maturity. Did he forget that McVay publicly apologized back in 2021 without anyone asking? Isn’t forgiveness a thing anymore? At the end of the day, the NFL is a business.
How can you act blindsided when you were benched for John Wolford? (*Note: Wolford has just four career starts.) Maybe your agent should’ve warned you a trade was possible since the staff had clearly lost faith.
So here’s the bottom line—Goff declined, his coach lost confidence, he dodges blame, and he’s not on the level of elite NFL quarterbacks. And yes, he absolutely cost the #1-seeded Lions their shot at the NFC title with four turnovers in the loss to the Washington Commanders. Stafford wins that game.
That’s the real Jared Goff story. He’s decent—but no victim. It’s time the media stops pretending otherwise. He’s not on Matthew Stafford’s level.
