You can't say that Lions general manager Brad Holmes lacks confidence in the team's new signal-caller Jared Goff, formerly of the Los Angeles Rams.
Holmes was part of the Rams' front office, serving as the organization's college scouting director, when it selected Goff No. 1 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
He's seen the good and the bad of Goff firsthand. He witnessed the University of California product put up good enough numbers for back-to-back trips to the Pro Bowl in 2017 and 2018, and also witnessed him fall out of favor during his final two seasons in L.A.
Holmes reunited with Goff in the Motor City earlier this offseason, when the Lions netted the California native as part of the Matthew Stafford blockbuster trade.
Holmes is glad to have the former Rams passer in Detroit, and doesn't view the 26-year-old as simply a "bridge" or "stop-gap" quarterback that the organization will move on from in a couple of seasons after it finds its next franchise QB in the draft.
"He's (Goff's) been successful. He has a lot of wins. He's been to the playoffs. I don't know why he doesn't have a chance to be successful. There's nothing wrong with winning," Holmes told Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. "The outside narrative has been like, 'Oh, you got the guy for two years to bridge, and then, that's it.' Okay, I can name you some stop-gaps. I wouldn't say (Goff is one)."
Holmes also told Twentyman that Goff was sought after by other teams.
"Before the trade, I remember (Rams GM) Les (Snead) asked me if I wanted Jared, and I said, 'Yes, I do want Jared.' He said, 'Okay, I'm just asking because I'm getting a lot of calls.' Within that QB circle of teams that needed one, Jared was sought after, just as Carson Wentz was sought after, just as Sam Darnold was sought after. That Stafford (was sought after)," Holmes said. "I never viewed (Goff) as a bridge option. He's been a winning quarterback. His resume speaks for itself. Since he's been a full-time starter, he's not been to the playoffs one time (2019)."
Goff now has a chance to get his career back on track, and Holmes believes the change of scenery has treated him well so far.
"Talking with him now, you can kind of feel like the breath of fresh air," Holmes commented. "You always say it, like, 'Aw, he just needs a change of scenery and a breath of fresh air.' It's easy to write that down or say it. But, you can actually feel it, as you're talking with him."
Holmes believes Goff's rejuvenated nature dates back to the first conversation that he and Detroit head coach Dan Campbell had with the new Lions starting QB when he came to Motown for his physical.
"I think it all stemmed from that first conversation (head coach) Dan (Campbell) and I had with him when he came up for his physical. We might have been in there talking for more than an hour about just everything that went down in L.A., the freedom he was given, the ownership he was given and not given, and then Dan just letting him know, 'Look, man, this is your offense,'" Holmes said. "Just basically giving him the ownership like, 'Look, this is your thing, run it how you want to run it. If you don't like something, say you don't like something.' You kind of felt him just getting excited about that."
Goff's "redemption tour" kicks off Sunday, Sept. 12, when the Lions take on the San Francisco 49ers in their regular season opener at Ford Field.
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