They didn’t appreciate Jared Goff in Los Angeles.
The Rams, despite making him a No. 1 overall pick in 2016, traded him to the Lions for Matthew Stafford (and more) in the 2021 offseason. It came after Goff helped the Rams to Super Bowl LII to end the 2018 season.
It’s impossible to argue with the Rams’ decision as they won Super Bowl LVI with Stafford.
But it’s become a rare win-win trade.
The Lions are 21-13 in the regular season the past two seasons, and they are playing in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game. That gives Goff a chance to become only the fifth starting quarterback to lead two different franchises to the Super Bowl.
Goff is beloved in Detroit.
During the Red Wings’ game Thursday night, a “JA-RED GOFF!” chant broke out. Goff wasn’t even there, but he heard about it.
“Yeah, that was pretty cool,” Goff said Friday, via Tony Paul of the Detroit News. “Pretty fun to be a part of a city that cares so much.”
The Lions are playing in the NFC Championship Game for the first time since January 1992. They have never played in a Super Bowl. So, the vibe in Detroit is different than what he saw five years ago in Los Angeles, a town with two football teams and, for the most part, something less than a deep emotional attachment to either.
“Not like this,” Goff said when asked if the run with the Rams compares to this one. “This is a little different. These fans are unbelievable. I expect to see a lot of them this weekend.”
