NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff is ready to leave behind the narrative that emerges every time he faces his former team.
Speaking with reporters before Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, Goff faced a number of questions about how to face the team that traded him for Matthew Stafford years after selecting him first overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff throws a pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half of an NFL football game in Detroit, Michigan, on Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
“It feels like a long time ago and I think we talked about it at the beginning of the year about what my career is like now.” [I’ve] I spent more time here. “It certainly seems like a long time ago,” he said Wednesday, before being asked separately if he still feels an “emotional burden.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
“No, not so much anymore,” he replied. “And really, we played them in that playoff game and it was a big deal and the next year we played them again, and that felt like even less, so now it’s even further away.”
But Goff was asked for the third time about the history of the confrontation. This time he intervened.
“We’re still talking about it, okay, go ahead,” he said before letting the journalist finish his question.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff speaks to reporters after an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Detroit, Michigan, on December 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
FORMER RAMS STAR JARED GOFF SAYS HE WAS BLINDED BY TRADE TO LIONS: ‘THE TRUE TASTE OF TRUE ADVERSITY’
Goff has played against his former team three times since that blockbuster trade, which resulted in Stafford leading the Rams to a Super Bowl victory. In regular-season matchups, the score is tied at one win apiece, but Goff led the Lions to another victory over the Rams in a wild-card game during the 2024 playoffs.
During his tenure with the Rams, Goff earned Pro Bowl nods in 2017 and 2018, with the latter season culminating in a Super Bowl appearance. He would be traded after only two more seasons.
Rams head coach Sean McVay had a lot of praise for Goff when speaking about his former quarterback this week, adding that he’s “really happy” with how his career is going in Detroit.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, center, passes while being pressured by the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, California, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
“There were a lot of wonderful memories and a lot of really good balls he made here that I will always cherish. I’m really happy for him. He’s married and now has a beautiful little girl. It’s amazing to see. I think I remember those things, and then you also remember when you need to be able to grow up and handle things a little better. I’ll never run away from that. What I’m grateful and appreciate is that he’s so gracious and understanding toward me. “I’m happy for Jared.”
The Rams host the Lions on Sunday at 4:25 pm ET.
