OFFICIAL VERDICT: Lions GM Brad Holmes Delivers Final and Unshakable Judgment on Jared Goff Trade as He Calls It a Defining Masterstroke That Silences Critics and Validates the Franchise’s Bold Vision

In 2021, the Detroit Lions acquired Jared Goff, bringing him to Detroit, in return for veteran franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford, who later joined the Los Angeles Rams.

In addition to Goff, Detroit acquired a significant pick package that included Josh Paschal, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Jameson Williams, Josh LaPorta, Brodric Martin, and Jahmyr Gibbs. Because of the transaction, Goff is the star of this package along with Williams, Gibbs, and LaPorta. Although it was and still is a blockbuster, Stafford has already guided the Rams to a Super Bowl victory.That’s what makes a recent take from Lions general manager Brad Holmes so interesting.

Holmes sat down with ESPN’s Field Yates for an interview on the team, and he told Yates that he feels like the trade he signed off on will go down as one of the best executed in NFL history. Holmes sounds off on Goff trade being one of the best in NFL history “When we got the trade done, and you heard all the ‘that was a salary dump,’ I was like look, Jared Goff…I knew what he was about, I knew how he was wired. Holmes said in the interview, “I think we all suffer from the recency bias. And the last thing was him losing a Super Bowl and leaving the playoffs, and I’m sitting here like…I didn’t know that your career’s defined at 24 years old, or 25 years old, whatever he was at the time. He had a lot of early success.” READ MORE: Calvin Johnson’s Lions career earns him a huge spot on the All-Quarter Century team “He had some bumps at the end, but I knew how talented, I knew how smart, and I knew that he was a gritty, mentally tough quarterback.”

I was aware of that. I thought it was the ideal place for him because of this, and the trade clearly went well. If you were to rate all-time transactions, this one would undoubtedly rank among the best given what it accomplished for the Rams and for us.

Holmes is correct when he says that both parties have benefited from this exchange. The Lions received their core, and the Rams received their hardware. Nevertheless, since joining the Lions, Goff has failed to guide them to the “promised land” and a Super Bowl trip. Detroit’s best chance at that was last year, but they failed early in the postseason due to injury.