The Matthew Stafford era has reached a conclusion in the Motor City, as he was dealt from the only NFL home he’s ever known to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Jared Goff and draft picks.
And already, it looks as though the Lions are moving in the direction of having Goff as their starter. He’s signed through 2024, having inked a $134 million extension (with $110 million guaranteed) in 2019.
A Northern California native, Goff grew up a San Francisco 49ers fan and wears the jersey number 16 in honor of Joe Montana. The fact that he pursued a career in professional sports isn’t surprising, considering his father Jerry played six seasons in Major League Baseball.
He received several collegiate offers before ultimately deciding to attend the University of California, Berkely. He would eventually go on to set 26 school records on the gridiron.
While at Cal, it was discovered that he suffered from an enzyme deficiency, meaning his body doesn’t properly break down proteins. He soon began working with fitness guru Ryan Flaherty to add some lean weight to his frame, and it soon paid off.
“We had to adjust his diet and implement probiotics and get him on amino acid supplements,” Flaherty said. “He’s eating lots of lean chicken, turkey and fish. Working on his diet was the big unlock for him.
“We saw big changes in Jared. The biggest thing was seeing advances in his strength.”
Of course, Lions fans are going to have to hope that Goff performs better on the actual gridiron rather than in virtual format.
“He’s not very good at Madden; he can’t read defenses in Madden,” Cal teammate Steven Moore told 247Sports’ Ryan Gorcey back in 2015. “He can’t read defenses as good as he can in person. I think that’s because he thinks when he’s playing quarterback, and he throws the ball, he knows he can lob it in to throw it straight, and the [virtual] quarterback doesn’t do it. He gets frustrated with that type of stuff. Because he’s as good as he is, it makes him worse at Madden.”
As the number one pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Goff is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and led the Rams to the Super Bowl in 2018.
However, he injured his thumb in the 15th game of this year’s regular-season that saw him toss only 20 touchdowns, the fewest since his rookie campaign. When asked about Goff’s status with the Rams for next season earlier this month, Rams coach Sean McVay was non-commital.
“We’re in a situation that we’re in evaluation mode,” McVay said during a videoconference. “All those things are things that we’re moving forward, we’re looking forward and I can’t answer any of those questions until I take a step back and you evaluate everything that’s in the best interest of the Rams.”
That question was put to rest late last night with the blockbuster deal that sees Goff headed to the Motor City.
