Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams reflects on the good times with Jared Goff

THOUSAND OAKS, California – Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay wanted to reflect on the good times with Jared Goff on Thursday instead of favoring what he failed with his next franchised former quarterback who has been traded to the Detroit Lions .

“What I think is important to make sure I at least want to mention is the amount of good stuff and great leadership he has provided since I came here as head coach,” said McVay, who listed all three appearances in the playoffs, two division titles, NFC championship and Super Bowl appearance under Goff for the past four seasons. “So I prefer to focus on the things that I think he did a great job settling into that league, the way he was constantly handled day in and day out and all I can do is thank him and that’s a little bit what I would tell Jared. “

Last month, the Rams changed Goff, as well as a third-round pick from 2021 and a first-round pick in 2022 and 2023, to the Lions for quarterback Matthew Stafford.

The trade will become official at the start of the new league year on March 17 and until then NFL rules prohibit the Rams or Lions from talking directly about the trade. But McVay acknowledged in his first video conference with reporters from the deal that the potential for acquiring a veteran offensive player was “exciting.”

When asked what has changed in his opinion and organization about Goff since he signed a four-year, $ 110 million guaranteed extension before the 2019 season, McVay said, “I don’t know if he really has changed a lot.

“I mean, there’s been so much going on since then,” McVay said. “I think what I’d say I’ve learned over the last few years is that things change every day and you probably want to be careful making general statements when you can’t predict the future.”

Before Goff signed the record extension, McVay said he hoped to stay with the quarterback for a long time.

However, in the days after the trade, Goff told the Los Angeles Times that “it became increasingly clear” that they no longer wanted him in Los Angeles and said he could not find out when that happened.

McVay said he has since spoken to Goff and described his conversations as “healthy.”

“Jared and I had a lot of conversations,” McVay said. “We had one that I want to keep between me and Jared, but again, I don’t want to go into the specific details of this kind of thing … I think we were both able to communicate openly and honestly with each other. the others, but I prefer to keep those details between us. “

Now entering his fifth season as coach, McVay acknowledged he could have been a better coach for Goff, who went through 3,952 yards and 20 touchdowns with 13 interceptions in the Rams ’10-6 2020 season that ended with a loss to the Green Bay Packers.

“I think it’s just constant, continuous communication,” McVay said. “I’m proud of this kind of thing and I think it could have been so much better in those real-time communications and, I’m not going to give any excuses, but there are a lot of things, even some of the decisions you’re constantly putting into it. in the right positions to be successful and therefore as a coach, as a leader, your job is to try to make the situations and people around you better and there were definitely some moments that I know I should could have done better, really for our team and in particular Jared “.