Terry Bradshaw has been full of praise for Jared Goff this season as the Detroit Lions make their playoff push, but he wasn’t always so complimentary of the quarterback.
At one point, Bradshaw labeled Goff a “turnover machine” during his challenging tenure with the Los Angeles Rams, but his opinion has since shifted.
This season, Goff has been stellar for the Detroit Lions, leading them to a 14-2 record and securing the top spot in the NFC North as they enter the final week of the regular season. The 30-year-old quarterback is currently ranked fourth for most touchdowns and second in the NFL for passing yards, with 4,398 yards.
However, Goff’s rise to success has been a journey. His time with the Rams was far from smooth, and he struggled during his early years. Despite losing every game in his rookie season, Goff showed steady improvement until he eventually moved to Detroit.
During his time in Los Angeles, Bradshaw wasn’t impressed with Goff’s performance, famously calling him a “turnover machine”—a harsh criticism for a quarterback in his position.
Speaking on FOX’s YouTube channel, the 76-year-old former quarterback remarked: “Goff has turned into a turnover machine. You’re not going to win Super Bowls or playoff games with your quarterback playing like he’s playing right now. You got $134 million invested in your quarterback, a guy you’re not real happy with right now. A guy you really want to get rid of, and you stand in front of the media and go ‘Well, week after week I have to stand up here and defend this guy and complain about it’. No you don’t, sit his a– down and put somebody else in there.”
Bradshaw continued, “I know you can’t get rid of him, that’s way too much money, but there’s a quarterback out there named Matthew Stafford and if you could, I would make a move. Get rid of one guy and bring in Stafford.”
Following Bradshaw’s remarks, Rams head coach Sean McVay seemingly took the advice to heart and traded Goff, along with some draft picks, for Matthew Stafford. Although the Rams went on to win a Super Bowl with Stafford in 2022, Goff’s career has flourished in Detroit, benefiting from the change as well.
