When the Rams played in Super Bowl LIII three years ago, their quarterback was Jared Goff.
While Los Angeles lost that game to the Patriots 13-3, it looked like Goff was set to be the Rams’ QB1 for years to come — especially after the club gave him a four-year, $134 million contract extension.
But of course, Goff is gone now, as the team sent him to Detroit as part of the deal for quarterback Matthew Stafford. And that trade has already worked out for Los Angeles, with the club playing Cincinnati on Sunday in Super Bowl LVI.
In an interview with Mike Silver of Bally’s Sports, Goff admitted to feelings of missing out. But he also expressed his support for his former teammates.
“Most of all, I’m happy for those guys because I know how hard they’ve worked, and they deserve it,” Goff said. “Of course, as a human, you feel like you can be missing out at times. But I think about, if I was in that situation, how would they feel about me? They’d be equally as thrilled for me.
“It’s something that you wish you could be a part of in your own right with the Lions, but we’re not right now — and watching them do it is just another part of the journey.”
Goff told Silver he’s even happy for Stafford’s success with his former team.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of Matthew’s as a player and as a person,” Goff said. “I know that what he went through the first part of his career was tough, and seeing him battle through that and get his opportunity now, it’s amazing. You root for people like that. It’s impossible not to. And it’s impossible not to root for good things to happen to good people.”
Goff’s first season in Detroit finished much better than it started, as he completed 68 percent of his passes for 1,250 yards with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions in six starts after the bye week — good for a 101.8 rating. Goff may not be playing this weekend, but if he can produce numbers like that over a full season, Detroit may not be as far away from the postseason as it may seem.
