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Sean McVay Reveals Lone Regret From Rams Jared Goff Trade

McVay in a recent interview admits he could have handled the Goff trade better.

When the Los Angeles Rams traded quarterback Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford last offseason, it was almost universally praised. Fans and analysts alike believed that Stafford could finally get the Rams over the hump, which Goff was never able to do. 

They would be correct, as Stafford would come in and lead the Rams to Super Bowl LVI, where they would defeat the Cincinnati Bengals to raise the Lombardi Trophy. Meanwhile, Goff and the Lions would finish 3-13-1, good for last in the NFC North. 

While coach Sean McVay was ultimately happy with the trade in the long run, as it resulted in a Super Bowl victory for the Rams, he recently said on the Open Mike Podcast that he wishes he had handled the situation better. 

“That was a hard thing for me because the thing that’s more important than anything is being a good communicator — clear, open, and honest. Making sure people aren’t caught off guard and really having respect for the players and the coaches for what they have to do. And I wish that there had been better in-person communication,” McVay said. 

Trading Goff was not an easy decision for McVay, as he has nothing but love and respect for him as both a person and quarterback. However, he admits that the communication about the situation could have been much better. 

"But all in all, just the better communication, better clarity is what I would’ve wanted." McVay said. "I didn’t like the outside narrative, but I think he knows where my heart was."

"I was glad we were able to connect, sit down, be honest with each other, and I think we both have a lot of respect for each other. And I wish I’d handled it better as a leader for him.”

When all is said and done, people will look back on this trade as an overall win for both sides. The Rams landed Stafford, who helped them become Super Bowl champions. On the other side, Goff got a fresh start in Detroit while the Lions were able to help further along their rebuild process. 


You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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