Jared Goff was reportedly traded to the Detroit Lions on Saturday night in a deal that sent Matthew Stafford to the Rams.
Former No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff was reportedly traded to the Detroit Lions on Saturday night in a deal that sent the former Rams quarterback along with a third-round pick in 2021 and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 to the Detroit Lions.
Goff told NFL Network's Michael Silver on Sunday that, "I'm just excited to be somewhere that I know wants me and appreciates me."
ESPN's Jeff Darlington said that Goff told him on Saturday night that he had already spoken to new Lions head coach Dan Campbell and several other members of the Lions' coaching staff. Per ESPN, the Lions view Goff as the starter moving forward.
Last season, Goff threw for threw for 3,952 yards and 20 touchdowns with 13 interceptions and after making back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2017 and 2018, he struggled at times through Los Angeles's season.
Goff missed just one game over his last four years with the Rams, the team's Week 17 victory over the Cardinals as he had suffered a thumb injury in Week 16 that required surgery. Goff did not start the team's eventual wild-card round victory over the Seahawks, though, he did later relive quarterback John Wolford, who suffered a neck injury early in the game.
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Stafford, the No. 1 overall pick in 2009, turns 33 in a week and has two years and $43 million left on his contract. He threw for 4,084 yards and 26 touchdowns with 10 interceptions, while his completion percentage (64.2), yards per attempt (7.7) and passer rating (96.3) were all above his career averages.
The deal cannot be made official until the start of the new NFL league year on March 17, though, ESPN reported a physical is coming soon for Goff.
The Lions made the postseason just three times with Stafford under center and have not had a winning record since 2017, the final season of head coach Jim Caldwell's tenure. Last season, Detroit finished 5–11 and fired head coach Matt Patricia following a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Houston Texans.