The Los Angeles Rams took an aggressive approach on their way to the top of the National Football League. They traded away most of their draft capital to stack talent and big-name players, and it sure paid off with a huge win in Super Bowl LVI.
The Rams had been on the verge of Super Bowl contention for years, even losing against the New England Patriots three years before going back to the ultimate stage. Several things changed, but perhaps the biggest one was the guy behind center.
Jared Goff was quite underwhelming as a former first-overall pick. He failed to take a step forward and lead the team through adversity. That’s why they eventually traded him alongside multiple picks for Matthew Stafford.
Sean McVay Says He Regrets Not Reaching Out To Jared Goff Before The Trade
But as much as the trade worked out for them on the field, Rams HC Sean McVay still had a bittersweet feeling. Recently, he admitted that he wished he had handled the situation better before breaking the news to Goff:
“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 told Mike Silver on the Open Mike podcast. “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,” McVay added.“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. (…) 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.”
The sports industry is a tough business, and it’ll spit you right out without any sort of mercy or remorse. So, props to coach McVay for going on record and opening his heart and realizing he could’ve handled things better.
