Five years ago, a trade changed the fortunes of the involved franchises, the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams won a Super Bowl, and the Lions became an offensive machine. Rams head coach Sean McVay now regrets his move as they are still fighting for a Super Bowl.

The trade package was believed to include only a declining player and a few picks. However, Jared Goff became a key part of the Lions’ successful seasons after the Rams traded him. Now, McVay has openly admitted that he mishandled the situation with Goff before the trade.

“Did I ever have the courage to sit him down after that 2020 season and tell him, ‘Hey, there’s a possibility that we’ll explore some avenues that might lead to you not being our quarterback moving forward?’ No," McVay opened up on the Bussin' with the Boys podcast.

In 2018, Goff looked like an elite quarterback after recording 4,688 passing yards and 32 touchdowns. The decision to move on from Goff came after the quarterback's inconsistent performances during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

The defenses eventually adjusted to McVay’s offense. Goff's touchdown totals dropped to 22 in 2019 and 20 in 2020 as inconsistency and turnovers persisted.

Yet, McVay regrets how he would have handled things differently if he had been given a chance now.

“Would I do it differently now? Absolutely. I think the biggest thing that I learned was that he was able to share, and I appreciate his honesty on all of that, and there is nobody to blame but myself,” McVay added.

Goff was disappointed regarding the communication from the Rams organization, as revealed in the second season of the Netflix docuseries Quarterback.

“I think for me, ultimately, it was the fact that there was not a conversation had and there wasn’t like a, ‘Hey, we’re thinking of moving on’ type of thing. There was nothing,” Goff said in the episode.

Considering how well Goff has played with the Lions, McVay has more reason to second-guess the move.

Detroit Lions Continue To Benefit From The Historic Trade

Over the last three seasons, no NFL quarterback has surpassed Goff in passing yards or touchdown passes, helping lead the Lions to 38 wins and turning them into a Super Bowl threat. He has been the catalyst behind Detroit’s remarkable rise and the steady leader of its high-powered offense.

With McVay trading Goff, the quarterback led the Lions to their first playoff win since 1991 as the team advanced to the NFC Championship Game in January 2024.

The Lions clinched the first seed with a franchise-record 15-2 record in the regular season in 2024. While they did have a disappointing season in 2025, Goff’s output was still one of the best amongst quarterbacks.

The quarterback joined Peyton Manning last season in an exclusive statistical group. They are the only quarterbacks to complete 75 percent of their throws, toss 12-plus touchdowns, and post a passer rating above 120 through five games.

Do you think McVay made a mistake by trading Goff? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Dhruv Vishnu Nair

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar