Jared Goff 'happy' for former Rams teammates, laments 'missing out' on Super Bowl experience

Quarterback Jared Goff helped the Los Angeles Rams earn a trip to Super Bowl LIII but, as Steven Ruiz noted for USA Today, was downright awful in that championship defeat to the New England Patriots. Goff then reportedly fell out of favor with head coach Sean McVay en route to the Rams sending him to the Detroit Lions last March in a deal that landed Los Angeles Matthew Stafford. 

Goff offered a classy response to that transaction roughly 11 months ago when he said he had "no ill will" toward his former employer but admitted this fall he had a "chip" on his shoulder heading into a Week 7 game between the clubs that the Rams won 28-19. The 27-year-old spoke with Michael Silver of Bally Sports this past Sunday about watching from home as the Rams prepare to face the Cincinnati Bengals in the upcoming Super Bowl LVI showdown. 

"Most of all, I’m happy for those guys because I know how hard they’ve worked, and they deserve it," Goff said of former Los Angeles teammates such as All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp and offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth. "Of course, as a human, you feel like you can be missing out at times. But I think about, if I was in that situation, how would they feel about me? They’d be equally as thrilled for me.

"It’s something that you wish you could be a part of in your own right with the Lions, but we’re not right now — and watching them do it is just another part of the journey."

Goff even praised the man who replaced him atop the depth chart of the reigning NFC champions. 

"Yeah, I’ve always been a huge fan of Matthew’s as a player and as a person," he said. "I know that what he went through the first part of his career was tough, and seeing him battle through that and get his opportunity now, it’s amazing. You root for people like that. It’s impossible not to. And it’s impossible not to root for good things to happen to good people."

The Lions began the 2021 campaign at 0-10-1 but ultimately won three of their last six games, and general manager Brad Holmes correctly pointed out after Week 18 that Goff "played really good football" over the second half of the season. 

The QB will be looking to build off that momentum when training camp sessions open this summer.