Jared Goff reflects on being 'betrayed' by Rams via trade to Lions 

The trade that resulted in the Los Angeles Rams acquiring quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions in exchange for Jared Goff back in March 2021 could go down as one of the top win-win NFL moves of the ongoing decade. 

In comments shared during an episode of the Netflix series "Quarterback," which had its second season release Tuesday, Goff opened up about being discarded by the Rams following his fifth pro season. 

"You feel like you’ve been betrayed, or like you’re not wanted, and I think, for me, ultimately, it was the fact that there wasn’t a conversation had and that there wasn’t a, 'Hey, we’re thinking about moving on,' type of thing. There was nothing," Goff explained, as shared by Jaclyn Hendricks of the New York Post. "You wish that it wasn’t such a blindside, and you wish that there was some sort of, maturity, I guess, to have that conversation, to be able to let me know what was going on and how things went down, and why this is happening." 

The Rams made Goff the first pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, and he helped the club reach Super Bowl LIII. However, that 13-3 defeat to the New England Patriots would be the closest Goff would come to hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy with Los Angeles. 

In January 2021, whispers emerged suggesting that the relationship between Goff and Rams head coach Sean McVay was "not great." Rams general manager Les Snead later failed to commit to Goff as the club's long-term QB1 shortly before Los Angeles landed Stafford. 

Together, the combination of McVay and Stafford guided the Rams to a Super Bowl LVI victory in February 2022. Meanwhile, the Lions went 3-13-1 in Goff's first season with the organization but have since become a championship contender. He led the 2023 Lions to the NFC Championship Game, and Detroit is now coming off a 15-2 campaign. 

"A lot of people saw it as I was being cast away, or I was being sent to, my career had died, and I think a lot of people in my former organization may have thought that as well, for me," Goff added about the trade. "I saw it as, what an incredible opportunity."

McVay has acknowledged on multiple occasions over the years that he wishes he had handled Goff's departure "better as a leader." As for the Lions' belief in their current starter, they handed Goff a four-year extension that included $170M guaranteed and a no-trade clause last offseason.

"It’s been so incredible to build with them," Goff added about the Lions during the "Quarterback" segment. 

As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Lions fifth among the betting favorites at +1000 odds to win Super Bowl LX this coming February. For a piece published Wednesday, Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated noted that "it's Super Bowl or bust" for the Goff-led Lions heading into September.