Just when you thought the retrospectives of the Jared Goff-Matthew Stafford trade were done and dusted, and everything that needed to be said was said, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay reflected again on his handling of that trade.
On Tuesday, McVay sat down for an interview with the "Bussin with the Boys" podcast, and the topic of letting players go was brought up. During his response, McVay brought up the Goff trade unprompted, saying, "I'm super sensitive to what an amateur I was with the Goff situation."
"You want to talk about lack of courage, lack of clarity, lack of ability to be able to look somebody in the eye that you've had a lot of really cool experiences with, and tell them, 'Hey, not easy to say, but we might explore an opportunity to acquire Matthew Stafford, and you'll be a part of a trade there.'
But instead it's like you kind of get frustrated, and it was more really about me than it was ever him, terms of like I had a lot of things that I needed to be able to work through, and I didn't handle that the right way. And I'm not saying that we wouldn't have made the decision, but the handling of it was exactly the antithesis of how I would hope to handle things moving forward."
This isn't anything new for McVay, as he's mentioned in the past that he regrets how he handled Goff's departure. This was another opportunity to fully reflect and expand on the lessons he learned in hindsight.
One of the big lessons he learned was "operate with clarity with people," pointing to the Rams' frustrating 2020 season and how he didn't have the courage to sit down with Goff and explain what the next steps could be. Instead, the Rams moved quickly to acquire Stafford.
McVay said it was Goff himself who taught him that valuable lesson by honestly sharing that what he didn't like most about how things played out was that he was "caught off guard." McVay blamed himself for that and for not having the courage to communicate with Goff properly during that process.
Sean McVay wished he handled the Jared Goff trade differently pic.twitter.com/3JgisoCpc0
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) May 19, 2026
Super Bowl LIII was "too big" for McVay
A focal point of the Goff-McVay era in Los Angeles was the 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. The high-powered Rams' offense was stalled as opposing head coaches, including then-Lions head coach Matt Patricia, began to exploit both McVay and Goff's inexperience and underdevelopment as the season went on.
Similar to the handling of the Goff trade, McVay placed blame on himself, saying that the game was a "humbling night" and was "too big" for him. He believes he was a "significant" reason why the Rams did not win that game.
Goff received his share of criticism for his poor performance in that game, which helped shape much of his current reputation that he doesn't show up in big games. While some of that criticism and others are still earned, McVay's comments are a reminder that this game is a group effort, and how a coach manages each game state can negatively impact the players on the field.
READ MORE: Jared Goff now knows when he can flip the script on his biggest flaw
Now, McVay is comfortable candidly opening up about how he handled this Super Bowl and the Goff trade in part because he eventually did win his Super Bowl. His and Stafford's legacies are secure. That weight is off his shoulder, regardless of how their upcoming "all-in" season goes.
Goff's side of the story is incomplete. He still has something left to prove. That he's not a "dynasty starts after you" guy. That he can lead the way to his own Super Bowl triumph. However, the pressure is mounting going into year six with the Lions, and his future with the team could start to come into doubt if they miss the playoffs again.
There will be plenty more to say about the Goff-Stafford trade in the years to come, but it's up to Goff to get the final word in by hoisting a Lombardi trophy just like McVay did.
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