Jared Goff is fresh off one of the strongest seasons of his career, silencing critics and solidifying himself as the steady leader of Detroit’s high-powered offense. Under his guidance, the Lions have transformed into legitimate contenders, and there’s no reason to believe the 29-year-old QB won’t keep delivering in 2025. But while Goff continues to thrive in Detroit, one thing still lingers from his past: the raw way his time with the Rams ended. Even now, years after being shipped out of Los Angeles in a cold, abrupt trade, the sting hasn’t fully faded. Goff has openly called the move “the greatest thing that ever happened” to him, yet he hasn’t shied away from admitting how much the lack of communication from Sean McVay and the Rams’ brass hurt.

Now, just as Goff’s old wounds resurface, a $212 million reality check has dropped. And it flips the script on his narrative of betrayal. YouTuber Julian W Lucas didn’t hold back, tying Goff’s past grievances to a harsh truth involving Sean McVay and the Rams’ master plan. In a conversation with Albert Breer, Lucas gets why Goff feels burned. “I think it’s okay for Goff to feel a little bit betrayed,” he said. “Betrayed probably is too strong a word. But when you have – you’re going to have naturally with your offensive head coach as a quarterback, you’re going to have like a pretty intimate close relationship with your coach. And your coach is probably saying, ‘You’re our guy. You’re awesome.” That’s what a player expects from his coach.

Lucas painted the picture: Goff believed McVay had his back. Then, in a blink, it was over. “Jared Goff is probably feeling like McVay is my guy. He’s in my corner. We’re in this together. And then in the blink of an eye, it’s like, ‘Nope, goodbye.'” That whiplash? It’s easy to see why Goff felt abandoned. But here’s the twist. Lucas doesn’t let Goff off the hook. “The reason why I don’t think you could be too upset if you’re Jared Goff is because of Sean McVay, Jared Goff’s career was essentially saved,” he says. Before McVay, Goff was floundering. After?

A $212 M payday and a Super Bowl run. “McVay had a massive hand in that. A massive hand in that.” The trade itself was a brutal business. On March 18, 2021, the Rams traded Goff, along with two first-round picks and a third, for Matthew Stafford. Goff knew exactly what people were saying when the Rams shipped him to Detroit. “Everyone externally just assumed that I s—,” he told The Athletic. “Because why else would this be happening? People thought, ‘He’s done. He’s damaged goods. His story is over.” And at the time, it was hard to argue – his play had dipped, his $134 million deal looked like a mistake, and the Lions seemed to view him as a temporary bridge QB.

But Goff flipped the script. Back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons, 59 TDs, and a locker room presence that cemented him as Detroit’s leader.

Jared Goff’s emotional whiplash in the NFL grind

Goff’s hurt feelings might be real, but not everyone’s buying the victim card. Former NFL LB LaVar Arrington – a guy who lived through the league’s cold-blooded roster moves – heard Goff’s Quarterback confession and dropped the hammer. “Quarterbacks must have an alternate reality to other players,” he scoffed on Fox Sports Radio. “They all just sound like some soft [expletive], man.” The disconnect?

Goff poured his heart out on Netflix, describing how Detroit’s Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes reignited his spark. “It kind of brought me from this moment of picking up the pieces to reinvigorated,” he said, savoring that rare NFL feeling: being wanted. But Arrington, who played in an era where GMs handed out pink slips like playbooks, wasn’t having it. “This is business. You felt blindsided? That happens to players every single day.” His point cut deep: While QBs get Netflix specials to air grievances, most players get dumped via a voicemail.

Yet Arrington’s tough-love stance overlooks a key nuance: Franchise QBs exist in a different universe. When the Rams drafted Jared first overall in 2016, he wasn’t just a QB; he was the symbol of a franchise reborn. He led them from irrelevance to a Super Bowl LIII appearance and became the face of Los Angeles football. The NFL often treats players as assets, but Goff’s case stung differently. This wasn’t just a roster move. It was the organization that bet on him, suddenly deciding he wasn’t good enough.

But the punchline? This “betrayal” was the best thing for everyone. Goff landed in a locker room that treats him like a king. The Rams hoisted a Lombardi with Stafford. And that $212M reality check? Proof McVay did set Goff up for life. Even if the breakup was messy. So yeah, Goff’s allowed to feel salty. But in a league where most careers end with a waived-player tweet? Crying over spilled Gatorade just sounds… soft.