The relationship between a quarterback and his coach was compared to a marriage, as it was supposed to be a long-term business, but it is sometimes bent. Still, the parties often overcome difficulties and continue. Well, when Sean McVay decided to end the Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff, he at least did it without going through the Valentine’s Day charade.
The final conversation was epic, though brief.
Jared Goff was No. 1 choice in the 2016 NFL draft
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The revisionist story says that the Los Angeles Rams crossed the line by making Jared Goff the first choice in the 2016 NFL draft. However, the Rams went through defenders like peppermint candies for several years, and it’s not like the callers caught in the first three rounds – Carson Wentz, Paxton Lynch, Christian Hackenberg, Jacoby Brissett and Cody Kessler – set the league on fire. About 134 players left the board before Dak Prescott was chosen.
Goff fought in seven games as a rookie, but his turnaround in 2017 was impressive. He won the first of two consecutive waves in the Pro Bowl by throwing 3,804 yards and 28 touchdowns to take the Rams to the playoffs for the first time since 2004. The next season was better: 4,688 yards, 32 TDs and a trip to the Super Bowl.
This earned him a $ 134 million contract extension for four years, which certainly came as a surprise, as the Rams could have chosen the fifth year option instead of buying another year to evaluate it.
Goff’s ratio of 42 touchdowns to 29 interceptions over the past two seasons has put him in the sights of skeptics and opened Rams to criticism for his 19-13 record.
There was tension between Sean McVay and Jared Goff
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When Jared Goff broke the thumb of his throwing hand in week 16, his 2020 season was presumably over. However, he was forced to return to the action in the wild-card round when John Wolford was injured. Goff finished 9 out of 19 for 155 yards and a TD to beat the Seattle Seahawks and then returned the following week to complete 21 of 27 attempts for 174 yards and a TD in the divisional round loss to the Green Bay Packers.
All things considered, playoff performances should have taken Goff’s weight a lot, because he played admirably, despite his thumb surgery. Instead, McVay gave him a warm endorsement at the end of the season, calling Goff “the defender for now”.
“They need marriage counseling, one person told me,” said Steve Wyche of the NFL Network. “I think this is something that they will be able to overcome, but there must be some healing and this is not just Jared Goff’s injured thumb.”
So much for that. Michael Silver of the NFL Network accused Troy Aikman of destroying Goff over the course of the season and said Goff could “reasonably assume” that McVay was criticizing his initial QB during production meetings with the Fox Sports analyst.
No amount of advice would fix that.
The farewell conversation included a brief goodbye
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The Los Angeles Rams obviously concluded after their loss to the Green Bay Packers that Jared Goff would not take them back to another Super Bowl. Over the weekend, they traded Goff and several draft picks with the Detroit Lions for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford.
“I am very excited to be in a place that I know wants and appreciates me,” Goff told NFL.com in a poorly concealed attempt against Rams coach Sean McVay. “I’m moving forward and I couldn’t be more excited to build a winner there. “
The night before, McVay called Goff to inform him of the exchange. The coach barely managed to get the details out of his mouth when the quarterback saw that he was getting a call from his father.
“OK,” said Goff to McVay, according to the NFL Network. “I have to go.”
Click.
All statistics are courtesy of Professional football reference.