Sean McVay finally admits the ‘shocking’ Jared Goff trade to Lions could’ve been “handled better”

Sean McVay cleared his guilty conscience about Jared Goff's trade to the Lions, revealing he was made a scapegoat after the poor 2020 season.

Sean McVay finally admits the ‘shocking’ Jared Goff trade to Lions could’ve been “handled better”

Jared Goff and Sean McVay (Via AP News/Imago)

Things escalated quite far for Jared Goff when the Los Angeles Rams decided to bench him in 2020, then as the season ended, he was traded to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford. Years later, now when the Rams are circling around the possibility of trading Stafford, head coach Sean McVay got real about Goff’s abrupt trade. 

Head coach McVay recently admitted that he could have handled the shocking Goff trade to the Lions in a better way since they drafted him in 2016 as the first overall pick. During his appearance on the Fitz and Whit podcast, he cleared his guilty conscience, revealing Goff was made a scapegoat by the franchise after the disastrous 2020 season. 

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When look back on it, the Jared Goff situation could have been handled on my part, in terms of, you know, clarity of dialogue and the midst of that. You have never know which direction this is gonna go… I definitely had some growing up to do, could’ve done a better job for Jared.’ There’s a lot more respect in etiquette he deserved.

Sean McVay on the Jared Goff-Matthew Stafford trade

McVay added “The way that was handled on my end that was poor on my part. And you want to make sure that you know, as you try to apply your you know, learning lessons from your mistakes, that you’re at least trying to communicate with clarity.”

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Known to be one of the most successful trades in NFL history, the sudden move by the Rams shocked many in the 2021 offseason, even though the 33-year-old Stafford was actively seeking a way out of Detroit. The following year, Stafford proved himself to be the right decision for leading Los Angeles to a Super Bowl triumph, whereas Goff is yet to win one. 

Sean McVay addresses Rams’ dilemma over Matthew Stafford’s future

With McVay choosing the high road of honesty, he was also asked about the ongoing buzz surrounding Stafford’s future in Los Angeles. Given, that the veteran quarterback is seeking a lucrative $50 million contract, however, the Rams do not wish to commit to the aging quarterback in a long-term contract. 

There’s no discrepancy on us wanting him to continue to be our quarterback. There’s layers to it. You have to be able to say, ‘Hey, how do we continuously build? How do we support him? How do we make sure that he’s getting what is his worth relative to those things?’

Sean McVay said
Sean McVay with Matthew Stafford
Sean McVay with Matthew Stafford (Via Athlon Sports)

While it’s clear that the Rams are prioritizing having Stafford for the upcoming 2025 season, his substantial cap hit of $103 million over the next two years poses a challenge, especially since numerous key players on the roster will soon be due for extensions.