We were wrong about Jared Goff.... a lot. Here’s a look back on some of our historically bad takes on the Lions QB.

On Monday, Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions agreed to a new contract extension that makes the Lions quarterback the highest-paid player in franchise history. It’s a remarkable redemption story for Goff, who was unloaded to Detroit with a haul of draft picks so the Los Angeles Rams could chase (and win) a Super Bowl with Matthew Stafford.

It is truly a best-case scenario for Goff because many—if not most—athletes who are treated like he was with the Rams never fully recover. And it speaks to Goff’s incredibly high character that he was able to mentally persevere that time (and the 3-13-1 year in Detroit) and come out an even better quarterback.

But it’s also worth taking a moment to look back at our own feelings back in 2021 when the trade first went down. The overwhelming feeling about the trade was that Goff was a bridge quarterback, a salary-cap dump to maximize draft capital return, or somewhere in between. Were there some believers in Goff? Sure. But landing in Detroit of all places—with a brand new head coach people were already ridiculing, and an under-the-radar first-time general manager—certainly seemed like long odds for Goff’s career to resurrect.

So let’s look back at Pride of Detroit back in 2021, not just in an effort to ridicule ourselves or “pull receipts” before Brad Holmes can. But let’s celebrate how both Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions managed to beat the odds and get to a place where nearly everyone believed they weren’t truly capable of reaching.

Here are all the times we were wrong about Jared Goff:

Note: Okay, this isn’t a comprehensive list, because I would have to go through hours and hours of podcasts to find some truly bad takes. But the following represent some of the most notable “wrong” takes we had.

What the heck happened to Jared Goff? — February 1, 2021

An analysis piece from myself just a day or two after the trade went down. There is nothing egregiously wrong here. In fact, my conclusion was actually quite accurate:

“If there’s anything his time with the Rams has taught us, it’s that the Lions will need to build (or maintain) a solid offensive line, rely heavily on play-action with a real threat running the ball, and find themselves a deep-ball threat or two.”

Okay, phew. Not so bad. But this is just the beginning.

Open thread: What are your expectations for Jared Goff? — February 1, 2021

John Whiticar posed this question in the short aftermath of the trade. And like many people around the time, he pretty much viewed Goff as a bridge quarterback.

“I think he will be a middle of the road quarterback for the next two seasons before being traded or released.”

To be fair, the take was a little more nuanced than that.

“However, the evidence seems to point towards a few mediocre years from Goff. Goff appears to be a quarterback that needs a perfect situation to succeed, and despite having one with the Rams, he was still a weak link. He won’t get that in Detroit.”

Lucky for y’all, the comment section to that one is lost to time.

Grading the Detroit Lions’ trade of Matthew Stafford — January 31, 2021

This was the first real documented miss from me.

“In the meantime, the Lions get a little immediate draft compensation this year with a third-round pick, and they get a serviceable quarterback to bridge the gap between now and whoever the team chooses as their next franchise passer. Maybe there’s even a little belief Goff could be that guy, but I’m not personally buying that right now.”

Have we seen Jared Goff’s best yet? — February 2, 2021

This one goes in a minor win category for Mike Payton. Though he starts out saying it’s quite possible we’ve seen the best from Goff, he points out that the landing spot in Detroit may be a little better than most were saying.

This leaves Goff, 26, as a still young piece of clay that can be molded. Luckily for him, it would appear the Lions have built a staff of coaches and a front office that wants to reenact that scene from Ghost.

Monday Overreactions: The Jared Goff experiment should be a short one — October 4, 2021

Things definitely took a turn for the worst for Goff in October of his first year in Detroit. He was turning over the ball a lot and the Lions were winless. The knives were starting to come out for him.

Though this column from Mike weighs both sides of the argument, it does bring up what would become a common discussion at Pride of Detroit: drafting a quarterback.

“The Lions are likely to stick with Goff for at least three years, but that doesn’t mean he has to be the starter. At this rate, as the Lions are only one of two winless teams left, there’s a good chance they’ll be selecting in the top five of next year’s draft.”

Open thread: Is it time to bench Jared Goff — October 15, 2021

John Whiticar ultimately concludes that no, it wasn’t time to bench Jared Goff, but for the question to even be posed this early is damning enough. That said, John is actually quite reasonable with his take here:

“Many view Goff as a bridge quarterback, and by benching him, you are burning that bridge. If Goff is benched, you have to consider releasing him this offseason. You aren’t paying a player $30 million to be your backup. The chances of Goff being your starter in 2022 after benching him in 2021 are slim-to-none. While many are excited about the prospect of a rookie quarterback, the flaws of this team remain and likely will remain in 2022.”

By the way, 40% of you voted yes in the poll.

PODcast: Time is running out for Jared Goff — October 18, 2021

Oh man, I look so sad. Jump to about the four-minute mark to hear us talk about Goff after Detroit’s 34-11 loss to the Bengals. I use some pretty horrible language here, and I’m honestly super embarrassed by it. But since this whole thing is a big mea culpa, here’s a full transcript of my horrible, no-good Goff rant.

“Jared Goff is a bum. I’m sorry, I don’t even like using that word, but he sucked, sucked, sucked, sucked. I’m going to say some positive things about this game later, I promise I will, but the offense is regressing. Coaching, all around, is still pretty good We’re seeing young players get better, but it’s not getting better on offense. Why do you think that is? Jared Goff! I’m sorry. I know the personnel is horrible. I know the injuries are killing everybody. I know they’re missing some leaders on this team in Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow. But, listen, there are open receivers now. [...] But when these things keep happening over and over again and Jared Goff is the common denominator, he is the common denominator! The end. This offense runs through him, and they need to put it on his shoulders in games like this, and he—you put a thimble on that guy’s shoulder and he collapses.”

I’m not going to lie, it doesn’t get any nicer after that. I deserve all the criticism in the world for this podcast. It was over-emotional, disrespectful, and embarrassing. I continually think about this moment and try to use it as a lesson to not make my football takes sound like a personal attack. If you somehow happen to be reading this Jared, I’m sorry. I crossed a line here.

Jared Goff is not Jared Goff — November 15, 2021

After the ugly game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Goff and the Lions had hit rock bottom. At this point, some were even already questioning Dan Campbell. This column by Chris Perfett really got at the heart of things.

“To a snarling city, all Goff can do is fail. There is no victory condition that will be extended to him. I look back to the Steelers game, I watch those plays and there is but wonder: would it actually have been better if he had tried to throw down the field?”

Open thread: Which QB should the Lions draft in 2022? — January 29, 2022

The “draft a quarterback” floodgates were swinging open at this time, as the Lions entered the year with a couple of first-round picks, including the second overall selection. In this article, Ryan Mathews doesn’t even talk about the debate over drafting one. He simply asks which one to draft, and makes a case for Malik Willis.

“One of those (picks) needs could be quarterback, depending on who you’re talking to. Some think Jared Goff played well enough to earn another chance after closing out the season on a high note when playcalling responsibilities shifted to Campbell and tight ends coach Ben Johnson. Others felt they’ve seen enough of Goff to know they want to move on and bring in the franchise’s next quarterback.”

For what it’s worth, only 34% of you voted “none” in the poll. Peep the comment section, too.

Open thread: What is the future for Jared Goff? — February 17, 2022

At this point, some were starting to (rightfully) sour on the QB class of 2022. And, ultimately, Kyle Yost concludes that the Lions are likely to punt on QB in the draft.

“I actually think the Lions will not draft a quarterback at all this spring (or not until Day 3 at the earlier) and give the incumbent another shot. Goff was far from perfect in his Detroit debut, but looked better once he was given a little more talent. That warrants another opportunity in 2022, especially since the team will have plenty of picks next year to repeat this process if needed.”

The comment section is a little more mixed, but some have come around to the idea that Goff showed enough potential at the end of 2021 to warrant more chances.

2022 Draft preview: Brad Holmes faces huge decision at QB — April 18, 2022

At this point, the debate raged on whether Detroit should invest in a young quarterback. Everyone knew Goff would get another year to make his case, but many believed the time was now to get a young quarterback in the system and develop him, including myself.

2023 represents a potential break in the relationship between the Lions and Goff. The veteran quarterback is due to cost $30.65 million against the cap, but with only $10 million remaining in guaranteed money on the contract, Detroit could save over $20 million in cap space if they felt comfortable moving on from Goff.

Long story short, the Lions need a long-term quarterback. They may think they have one in Goff still, though, so his 2022 season will be absolutely critical.

Why the Detroit Lions should draft Malik Willis — April 27, 2022

Morgan Cannon gets thrown under the bus here, but he certainly wasn’t alone in this take. Brett Whitefield made a compelling case at the time, and he was Ryan’s answer to the above question of which QB the Lions should draft.

While this isn’t a direct condemnation of Goff, it is another iffy take from us during the “will he, won’t he” section of Goff’s career.

Monday Overreaction: Is Jared Goff’s time with the Lions on its way to being done? — September 12, 2022

“There is plenty of season left. Goff still very much needs to put in the work, and he can’t continue to have games like this. Even if he works to better his performance down the stretch, Goff is still on that clock, but it’s still too early to definitively call it at this point.”

Goff had a pretty disappointing opener in 2022 as the Lions were beaten up by the Eagles. Again, this is a more balanced look from Payton, but I think it properly expresses some concerns about Goff’s consistency.

Finally, I’m going to point the finger at y’all. During the 2022 season, we ran three polls during the season on whether you believed Jared Goff was the quarterback of the future. Goff started out the season hot, but when Detroit dropped to 1-6 at the end of October, Lions fans were already mocking quarterbacks to Detroit. Support for him was at an all-time low. However, Detroit’s amazing finish to the 2022 season had Lions fans believing again.

Just look at these poll results:

October 8, 2022: 70% of Lions fans think Goff is the QB of the future
November 12, 2022: 18% of Lions fans think Goff is the QB of the future
January 15, 2023: 89% of Lions fans think Goff is the QB of the future

Now it’s your turn for penance. Let’s hear it in the comment section below.