Jared Goff is heading back to Los Angeles this week, but don’t expect him to get caught up in the nostalgia. The narrative might be juicy - the former Rams quarterback returning to the city where his NFL journey began - but Goff’s not interested in rewinding the tape. For him, that chapter is closed.
It’s been five years since that blockbuster trade sent Goff to Detroit and brought Matthew Stafford to LA, a move that reshaped the trajectory of both franchises. But while the football world still loves to revisit the “who won the deal?” debate, Goff has moved on - and he’s made that crystal clear.
In fact, he’s not just moved on. He’s built something entirely new.
Goff has now started more games in a Lions uniform than he ever did for the Rams. He’s no longer the young quarterback riding Sean McVay’s offensive wave.
He’s the leader of a Detroit team that’s been climbing out of the NFL basement and into the playoff picture. This isn’t a fresh start anymore - it’s the main story.
And Goff is owning every page of it.
Earlier this season, Goff said it plainly: he is a Lion. And that wasn’t just a soundbite.
When he looks back on his career one day, it won’t be the Hollywood lights or the Super Bowl run with LA that define him. It’ll be what he’s built in Detroit - the relationships, the leadership, the growth.
This is where he’s found his voice. This is where he’s found his game again.
Sure, he gets why the questions keep coming. Every time the schedule sends him back to California, the trade talk resurfaces.
The emotions, the what-ifs, the comparisons - it’s easy story fodder. But Goff’s not giving it any oxygen.
He’s not thinking about the Rams. He’s not chasing revenge or validation.
He’s treating this trip the same way he approaches every week: as a business trip.
And that’s exactly why Detroit believes in him.
Goff has become the steady hand under center that the Lions needed. He’s delivered poise, control, and a level of consistency that’s helped stabilize a franchise long defined by instability.
He’s not trying to prove anyone wrong - he’s just focused on doing things right. And in doing so, he’s helped push Detroit toward a level of relevance the city hasn’t seen in decades.
His journey from LA to Detroit has been more than a change of scenery. It’s been a transformation.
Goff himself has said it’s “cool” to see how the scales have tipped since the trade. That’s not bitterness talking - it’s perspective.
He’s grown. He’s evolved.
And he’s proud of how far he’s come.
So yes, Goff will walk into SoFi Stadium again this week. But this isn’t a homecoming.
It’s a checkpoint. A reminder of where he started - and how far he’s traveled since.
Because for Jared Goff, the past is just that. The Rams are a part of his story, but they’re not the part that matters now.
That’s Detroit.
That’s home.