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More than five years after the blockbuster trade that changed the direction of two franchises, Sean McVay is openly admitting he mishandled the departure of Jared Goff from the Los Angeles Rams.
And honestly, the comments were surprisingly candid.
Appearing on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, McVay reflected on the Rams’ decision to trade Goff to the Detroit Lions in 2021 as part of the blockbuster deal for Matthew Stafford.
While McVay made it clear he does not regret the trade itself, he admitted he failed Goff in the way the situation was communicated.
McVay did not hold back while discussing the situation.
“I’m super sensitive to what an amateur I was with the Goff situation, you know, trading him,” McVay explained.
“You want to talk about lack of courage, lack of clarity, lack of ability to be able to look someone in the eye that you’ve had a lot of really cool experiences with and tell him, ‘Hey, not easy to say, but we might explore an opportunity to acquire Matthew Stafford, and you’ll be part of a trade there.’”
Those comments are especially notable considering how abruptly Goff’s Rams tenure appeared to end following the 2020 season.
At the time, many believed the relationship between McVay and Goff had deteriorated significantly behind the scenes.
The January 2021 trade remains one of the most important moves in Lions franchise history.
Detroit sent Stafford to Los Angeles in exchange for Goff, two first round picks, and a third round selection.
At the time, many nationally viewed Goff as a temporary bridge quarterback.
Instead, he completely revitalized his career in Detroit.
Since arriving with the Lions, Goff has helped lead the organization back into relevance, including an NFC Championship Game appearance and a dominant 15-2 regular season campaign in 2025.
Detroit also rewarded him with a massive four year, $212 million extension.
One of the most revealing moments from McVay’s comments came when he admitted Goff was caught completely off guard by the trade discussions.
“There’s a lot of stuff that goes on. I think the important thing is to operate with clarity for people,” McVay said.
“I was frustrated. Did I ever have the courage to sit him down after that season in 2020 and tell him, ‘Hey, there’s a possibility that we’ll explore some avenues that might lead to you not being our quarterback moving forward?’ No. Would I do it differently now? Absolutely.”
McVay later added:
“What did he not like the most about it? He was caught off guard.”
That admission confirms what many Lions fans suspected for years.
Goff did not see the move coming.
Ironically, the trade ended up working out extremely well for both organizations.
Stafford delivered a Super Bowl title to the Rams almost immediately.
Meanwhile, the Lions landed their franchise quarterback, additional draft capital, and eventually built one of the NFC’s most dangerous teams around Goff.
Still, hearing McVay openly acknowledge mistakes in how the situation unfolded adds another fascinating layer to one of the NFL’s biggest trades of the modern era.
And in Detroit?
Most Lions fans are probably pretty thankful everything unfolded exactly the way it did.
Continue reading...
And honestly, the comments were surprisingly candid.
Appearing on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, McVay reflected on the Rams’ decision to trade Goff to the Detroit Lions in 2021 as part of the blockbuster deal for Matthew Stafford.
While McVay made it clear he does not regret the trade itself, he admitted he failed Goff in the way the situation was communicated.
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Sean McVay admits he lacked “courage” with Jared Goff
McVay did not hold back while discussing the situation.
“I’m super sensitive to what an amateur I was with the Goff situation, you know, trading him,” McVay explained.
“You want to talk about lack of courage, lack of clarity, lack of ability to be able to look someone in the eye that you’ve had a lot of really cool experiences with and tell him, ‘Hey, not easy to say, but we might explore an opportunity to acquire Matthew Stafford, and you’ll be part of a trade there.’”
Those comments are especially notable considering how abruptly Goff’s Rams tenure appeared to end following the 2020 season.
At the time, many believed the relationship between McVay and Goff had deteriorated significantly behind the scenes.
Lions trade completely changed Jared Goff’s career
The January 2021 trade remains one of the most important moves in Lions franchise history.
Detroit sent Stafford to Los Angeles in exchange for Goff, two first round picks, and a third round selection.
At the time, many nationally viewed Goff as a temporary bridge quarterback.
Instead, he completely revitalized his career in Detroit.
Since arriving with the Lions, Goff has helped lead the organization back into relevance, including an NFC Championship Game appearance and a dominant 15-2 regular season campaign in 2025.
Detroit also rewarded him with a massive four year, $212 million extension.
McVay says Jared Goff was blindsided
One of the most revealing moments from McVay’s comments came when he admitted Goff was caught completely off guard by the trade discussions.
“There’s a lot of stuff that goes on. I think the important thing is to operate with clarity for people,” McVay said.
“I was frustrated. Did I ever have the courage to sit him down after that season in 2020 and tell him, ‘Hey, there’s a possibility that we’ll explore some avenues that might lead to you not being our quarterback moving forward?’ No. Would I do it differently now? Absolutely.”
McVay later added:
“What did he not like the most about it? He was caught off guard.”
That admission confirms what many Lions fans suspected for years.
Goff did not see the move coming.
Detroit ultimately may have benefited the most
Ironically, the trade ended up working out extremely well for both organizations.
Stafford delivered a Super Bowl title to the Rams almost immediately.
Meanwhile, the Lions landed their franchise quarterback, additional draft capital, and eventually built one of the NFC’s most dangerous teams around Goff.
Still, hearing McVay openly acknowledge mistakes in how the situation unfolded adds another fascinating layer to one of the NFL’s biggest trades of the modern era.
And in Detroit?
Most Lions fans are probably pretty thankful everything unfolded exactly the way it did.
Continue reading...
