Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes fires back at ‘lazy’ media-driven take on Jared Goff

When Brad Holmes assumed the role of general manager for the Detroit Lions, he made a significant move by trading Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Jared Goff and a trio of draft picks. At the time, many viewed Goff as merely a temporary solution, a “bridge quarterback” awaiting a replacement. Fast forward to the present, and Jared Goff is not just the Lions' quarterback; he's playing at a level that ranks him among the NFL's top quarterbacks.

What did Brad Holmes Say?

During a recent appearance on the NFL Insiders podcast with Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, Holmes took a stance he had never taken before, debunking the notion of Goff as a bridge quarterback. He expressed immense pride in Jared and shared his perspective.

He acknowledged that Goff faced a challenging situation in his previous season, including a lack of talent around him, budget constraints in free agency, a string of injuries, and a midseason offensive coordinator change. Despite this adversity, Holmes and the Lions continued to believe in Goff.

“Very, very proud of Jared. Again, just like like you said, I never thought of him is just a bridge or a stop gap or whatever.” Holmes said. “Just because I knew when I was around all the success he had, you know, early in his career and in LA, and you know but it seems like when he got here when the trade was made, that all that success was forgotten about. And it was it was just this narrative that he was just a bridge and I always thought that was kind of a lazy narrative and a big suffrage or recency bias, just because of I guess, the narrative of how the trade went down, and all of that.”

“Then in 2011, he was in a very difficult situation, you know, we didn't have a lot of talent around him. We didn't have much money to spend in free agency. We had a lot of injuries and we had to make a midseason OC change. I mean, it was a lot so you know, so then everybody kind of just kind of held on to the narrative from the trade and then we get to go into a 21. And then it's like, boy, he can't be the quarterback. But no, we just kept our belief in him.

Under the guidance of the coaching staff, including head coach Dan Campbell, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell, Goff's ownership and confidence in his role have soared. His performance level is at an all-time high, and the team's additions have further supported his success.

“I think Dan and Ben and Brunell have done an outstanding job with giving him ownership and his confidence is sky high. He's playing at a high level right now. Obviously, we've added stuff around him but he's in a really good place now. And so hopefully he can keep this going. But even if he has some lows, you know, I'm not worried about Jared because one of the more underrated components of him that I think is his mental toughness. He shown that he's displayed that he's doing a great job for us.”

Why it Matters

Personally, I have been backing Jared Goff as the Lions QB of the future for as long as anyone and the whole “bridge quarterback” narrative was a bunch of crap. Goff has transformed into an elite quarterback, and the Detroit Lions are poised to go places with him leading the way. It's no surprise that a substantial contract extension likely awaits him in the upcoming offseason.

TL;DR (too long didn't read)

Bottom Line: Setting the Record Straight

Jared Goff's journey with the Detroit Lions is a testament to his resilience and dedication. His emergence as an elite quarterback disproves the misguided belief that he was a temporary solution. The Lions are on the cusp of a bright future under Goff's leadership, with the potential for a lucrative contract extension on the horizon. In sports, as in life, sometimes it's crucial to challenge preconceived notions and let the facts speak for themselves.

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