Rams were ‘getting a lot of calls’ about Jared Goff before trade with Lions

Few people expected the Los Angeles Rams to move on from Jared Goff this offseason, less than two years after he signed a four-year deal worth $134 million. But when the opportunity to land Matthew Stafford arose, Sean McVay and Les Snead couldn’t help themselves.

The Rams, of course, packaged Goff and three draft picks – including two first-rounders – in order to land Stafford. It came together rather quickly, considering Stafford requested a trade from the Lions on Jan. 23 and the trade was agreed to on Jan. 30.

Although it was reported that the Rams had exploratory talks with teams about Goff, it wasn’t clear whether they were shopping him and how serious those discussions were. Well, according to former Rams college scouting director and current Lions GM Brad Holmes, Snead got a lot of calls about Goff.

In an interview with the Lions’ official site, Holmes said Snead called him and asked if he wanted Goff as part of their initial negotiation, adding that the Rams GM was getting “a lot of calls” for Goff.

“Before the trade, I remember (Rams GM) Les (Snead) asked me if I wanted Jared and I said, ‘Yes, I do want Jared.’ He said, ‘Ok, I’m just asking because I’m getting a lot of calls.’ Within that QB circle of teams that needed one, Jared was sought after, just as Carson Wentz was sought after, just as Sam Darnold was sought after. That Stafford (was sought after).”

That’s an interesting little nugget shared by Holmes five-plus months after the trade went down. It was never publicly reported which teams were interested in Goff, or whether the Rams received actual offers for their quarterback.

Perhaps Snead was just talking up Goff’s value as a negotiating tactic, making it seem as though there were a lot of competing offers. Regardless, the Lions got a great haul for Stafford.

They received a quarterback Holmes and coach Dan Campbell like in Goff, as well as two first-round picks and a third-rounder. Being with the Rams for Goff’s entire tenure in L.A., Holmes got to know him as a player and evaluated him in the pre-draft process.

Seeing where Goff is now, Holmes believes he has a chip on his shoulder after getting too much criticism in Los Angeles.

“He got a bad rap (in LA). He did,” Holmes said of Goff. “I didn’t think it was always fair, but everyone has their own opinion about that.

“But, end of the day, he’s in a great place right now. He’s got the chip on his shoulder, but it’s very subtle, because he’s so calm and collective and even keel, which I always thought elevated his game.”