Reaction to Rams Trade That Sends Ex-Cal Star Jared Goff to Lions
The general reaction to the Rams-Lions blockbuster quarterback trade is that the Rams got a quarterback (Matthew Stafford) who could lead them to the Super Bowl while the Lions got a quarterback (ex-Cal star Jared Goff) who will serve as a stop-gap measure for the rebuilding Lions until they get someone better.
This assessment would have seemed ludicrous on this date two years ago.
On January 31, 2019, Goff was a 24-year-old quarterback named to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year and who finished the regular season with 101.1 passer rating. He had led the Rams to a 15-3 record and a berth in the Super Bowl with two decent playoff performances, including a victory over New Orleans when he played Saints quarterback Drew Brees to a virtual standstill.
On January 31, 2019, Stafford was a 30-year-old quarterback whose only Pro Bowl selection had come four years earlier and who had ended the 2018 regular season with a passer rating of 89.9. The Lions finished the 2018 season with a 6-10 record, and Stafford had an 0-3 record in playoff games, losing his opening postseason games in 2011, 2014 and 2016.
Who looks like the quarterback you’d want on your team?
Then came the Super Bowl on February 3, 2019, and Goff’s disastrous performance against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Goff went 19-for-38 for 229 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, a 57.9 passer rating and four sacks as the Rams managed just three points. And it looked worse than the numbers while it was happening.
Goff has not been quite the same since.
He had to feel the Rams coaches’ and players’ confidence in him draining, especially this season, and no quarterback can perform well in that situation.
Goff said as much in his comments to Mike Silver after the trade was reported:
So now the Rams were willing to give away a third-round pick this year and first-round picks each of the next two years to unload Goff for a player who would not rank among the top half dozen quarterbacks in the league. That won't exactly instill supreme confidence in Goff's mind either.
No wonder Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times would write this:
The Rams need a fresh start, and so does [Goff]. He didn’t take as pronounced a downturn as Carson Wentz in Philadelphia, the No. 2 pick behind him in 2016, but Goff’s season was one to forget.
But those in Detroit don’t seem to think Goff is the long-term answer for the Lions, as indicated by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:
Goff played in a Super Bowl two years ago, and at 26 years old, has plenty of prime seasons left in his career. But he is more of a placeholder at the most important position on the field than someone good teams willingly build around. Even if he proves to be the latter in Detroit, he is coming to a team that is suddenly up against the salary cap and with major holes to fill at receiver and across the defense.
Birkett also said this in another article:
Most importantly, [the Lions] still need to find a long-term solution at quarterback. Goff's addition will not prevent them from drafting the position this spring, a team source said, but it should at least stop (Lions GM Brad] Holmes from forcing a pick on someone he does not like.
Jeff Risdon of Lionswire,USAToday, said much the same thing:
Goff strikes me initially as the starting QB for the Lions in 2021 but nothing certain beyond that. I couldn’t fathom the Lions trading for his contract, so I guess I can’t say it’s impossible Detroit summarily flips him to another team, but I’m prepared to watch Goff in the Honolulu blue and silver in 2021. He’s the “bridge” to the next generation QB, whether it’s Trey Lance or Justin Fields or Zach Wilson or someone who is still in college (Sam Howell?).
The one interesting aspect of the Goff trade to Detroit is that he would be able to throw passes to another former Cal player – Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. Jones’ final season at Cal (2011) came two years before Goff became the Bears’ starting quarterback as a true freshman in 2013, but maybe the union of two Cal alums could spark some magic.
But then ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky had an intriguing suggestion in Farmer’s L.A. Times story:
By Orlovsky’s appraisal, the Rams have a two-year window for their best chance to make a Super Bowl run, and are one move away from becoming the complete package. They need a receiver who can stretch the field, and he sees Detroit receiver Marvin Jones as an ideal fit. Jones, who caught nine touchdown passes in three of the last four seasons, is due to become a free agent this spring.
“If I were them, I’d go sign Marvin,” Orlovsky said. “I think it makes a ton of sense. Matthew and he have a great relationship. They obviously have a great rapport on the field. I think Marvin Jones would be that person.”
Will Jones be elsewhere in the 2021 season after leading the Lions in receiving in 2020? It’s possible. That would still leave Goff one top-notch target in Kenny Golladay, but Golladay played just five games for the Lions in 2020 because of injuries.
So what are others saying about the trade? Here is a smattering, starting with the one-word reaction by former Cal star and current Saints tight end Cameron Jordan:
Orlovsky said this on a twitter video:
Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner:
Detroit News columnist and 97.1 FM radio host Bob Wojnowski:
ESPN analyst and former NFL GM Louis Riddick:
NFL.com’ Ian Rapoport:
Former NFL punter and current sports talk show host Pat McAfee:
Former ESPN reporter Josina Anderson
Former Lions offensive lineman T.J. Lang:
Finally you might want to listen to Ryan Wilson at CBS Sports, who says in this video, “I don’t know if Jared Goff going to the Lions is going to make him better. In fact, conventional wisdom is he will be worse.”
Just as an aside to Packer fans wondering about the status of ex-Cal great Aaron Rodgers, Farmer of the L.A. Times suggests Green Bay will not let Rodgers go when Farmer reported about the Rams’ quarterback search:
Houston’s Deshaun Watson was out of their price range. They considered making a hard run at Aaron Rodgers, but Green Bay was adamant it wasn’t trading him.
.
Cover photo of Jared Goff by Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports
.
Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by searching: @si.calsportsreport
