Detroit Lions: Winners and losers from the Jared Goff trade

Loser: Jared Goff

I’m not going to be the one to tell him, but I sure hope Jared Goff understands the team he’s inheriting and recalibrates his expectations for 2021 as such.

Depending on Golladay, the Lions’ top four wide receivers from week one of 2020 could all be gone. Then there’s the bottom three run game, not to mention the worst defense in Detroit Lions history. If all the negative Twitter reactions to him are any indication, Goff isn’t getting the warmest welcome from his new fan base either.

Two years removed from a run to the Super Bowl, Goff quickly fell out of favor with Sean McVay, now being shipped off from a contender in sunny Southern California into the NFL’s closest approximation of Siberia. Things can sure change in a hurry…

Winner: Jared Goff?

With adversity comes opportunity though. Goff is a much better quarterback than many are giving him credit for.  Over the past two seasons, Stafford has been a much better quarterback. However, if you compared blind resumes after their first five years in the NFL, I’m pretty sure everyone would choose Goff’s.

Despite Goff being an easy target for criticism right now, his career achievements already exceed Stafford’s in numerous areas, and he’s still several years away from his prime. A change of scenery and a chip on his shoulder could do wonders for returning him to his previous form. I may have labeled him as a ‘loser’ in the immediate aftermath of this trade, but a motivated and rededicated Jared Goff could very well be a big piece in turning the Lions into winners again.