The expectationswere through the roof when the Los Angeles Rams selected Jared Goff with the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. But only five years later, they traded the quarterback to the Detroit Lions.
They couldn’t have asked for a better outcome, as they found the immediate success they were looking for with Matthew Stafford at the helm. The veteran signal-caller did what Goff couldn’t three years earlier, which was to lead the Rams to a Super Bowl win.
Though the need to make an upgrade at quarterback seemed clear since the 13-3 loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII, Sean McVay still regrets how he handled the departure of Goff last year.
Sean McVay regrets not being more clear with Jared Goff
“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,” McVay told Mike Silver on his Open Mike podcast, via ProFootballTalk. “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.The one thing that hurt me is that I would never want anything to be misunderstood about my appreciation, my respect for Jared. Was it a tough decision? Yes. Were there some things that I could’ve handled better in terms of the clarity provided for him? No doubt.
“When it got public that we were interested in Matthew, what we thought was going to be a week’s worth of time ended up happening in about 24 to 36 hours,” McVay continued. “So all in all, biggest thing I regret, [not] being able to sit down, look him in the eye and be able to communicate kind of where we are, what we were going to try to do moving forward. And for that, I regret it, I’ll not make those same mistakes again.
“But, I care about Jared. He sure as hell did a lot of good things. And I think the thing that shows what a stud, what a class act he really is, is one of the best text messages I got after the Super Bowl was from Jared Goff. And so, I think the further we get away, the more appreciation that we’ll have for the great four years that we did have together — because there were a lot of really good times.
“But all in all, just the better communication, better clarity is what I would’ve wanted. And I didn’t like the outside narrative, but I think he knows where my heart was. And 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.”
2021 was certainly not an easy year for Goff, who saw how his former teammates won the championship as soon as he left. However, his attitude towards the Rams deserves a lot of respectand McVay understands he deserved better.