Jared Goff moved from the Los Angeles Rams to the Detroit Lions via trade in March 2021. However, many NFL experts saw him as, at best, a placeholder for a future rookie quarterback. According to Lions GM Brad Holmes, this was never the plan.
“I never saw him as just a bridge or a stopgap or whatever because I noticed the success he had early in his career in LA,” Holmes shared during his appearance on the NFL Network talk show The Insiders” with.
Goff was selected to the Pro Bowl twice in his five years with the Rams. In February 2019, he even led his team to the Super Bowl, but lost to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
“When he came here, when that trade was made, it seemed like all that success was forgotten,” Holmes continued. “There was just this narrative that he was just a bridge for us. I always thought that was a lazy narrative.”
Ultimately, the general manager should be correct in his assessment of Goff. In the second half of the preseason, the offense turned upside down under the direction of the quarterback and won eight of the remaining ten games.
NFL: Brad Holmes ‘not worried’ about Jared Goff
The start of the current NFL season confirmed this positive trend. The Lions currently have a 4-1 record and are not considered favorites to win the division in the NFC North for nothing.
The most likely the organization’s run could be halted is if Goff were permanently out of step. But Brad Holmes isn’t expecting that for the time being.
“Hopefully he can keep it up, but even if he hits some low points, I’m not worried about Jared because I think one of the most underrated aspects of him is his mental toughness,” Detroit’s GM concluded.