The Los Angeles Rams famously traded several draft picks to move up in the 2016 NFL Draft to select California QB Jared Goff. The former Golden Bear was viewed as the Rams’ franchise savior and the one to get the Rams back to the Super Bowl for the first time since Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner and ‘The Greatest Show on Turf.’
He fulfilled the prophecy and got the Rams to the Super Bowl, but unfortunately for Los Angeles, Goff and head coach Sean McVay could not get them over the hump and were defeated by Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the New England Patriots.
Shortly after, Goff was dealt from the Los Angeles Rams with additional draft capital to the Detroit Lions for QB Matthew Stafford. Why would the Rams make such a calculated decision and give up on the young franchise cornerstone who got them to a Super Bowl?
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Why Did the Los Angeles Rams Decide To Trade Jared Goff?
The Rams pushed all their chips into the middle of the table and went all-in on Matthew Stafford. Los Angeles viewed Goff as a JAG (Just A Guy). Some around the league thought this was a bold move, and some viewed it as sensible. It depends on your risk/reward analysis.
Since the Rams won the Super Bowl, Jared Goff has clearly been better than Matthew Stafford. This season he is performing as one of the best QBs in the NFL, behind only Tua Tagoviola. The Lions basically got him as a throw-in, showing how well the NFL judges QBs. pic.twitter.com/y7rWIQyUqC
— Ty Willinganz (@TyWillinganz) September 26, 2023
Many teams around the NFL play scared. Front offices are afraid to make risky or bold decisions. If they do, a bullseye will be on their back, and their job security will be in jeopardy.
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When you are afraid to fail, you play it safe. Playing it safe is Jared Goff. He is an ideal game manager, but he offers no upside at the most important position in the NFL.
Me: I just don’t understand why the Rams were so down on Jared Goff. He’s a good QB.
(Goff throws a pick 6)
My husband, who is a huge Lions fan: pic.twitter.com/3AF0HS2KKl
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 17, 2023
If Rams head coach Sean McVay was sold on Goff and thought he was the guy to get them back to the Super Bowl or to win a championship, he would have backed him, but he didn’t.
McVay knew as much as anyone that to take the Rams’ offense to the next level, they needed a next-level QB. Stafford offered what they needed and what Goff couldn’t deliver.
The Rams haven't had a first-rounder since Jared Goff in 2016
This year they got one at No. 177 overall pic.twitter.com/dC6RK0b5CN
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) September 18, 2023
The Rams made the right decision. They went for it, and the gamble paid off with a Super Bowl title.
Some NFL analysts view Goff’s success in Detroit as reasons why the Rams shouldn’t have dealt him, but Goff is a system QB propped up by the players around him. He’s good, but not good enough to win a Super Bowl title.