Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has hit out at local media coverage of the team, saying many reporters “relish negativity”.
The Lions enjoyed their best campaign since 1991 in 2023, winning the NFC North with a 12-5 record then beating the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs.
An agonising collapse in the NFC Championship game then denied them a trip to the Super Bowl, as they squandered a 17-point halftime lead in a 34-31 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.
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Speaking during an appearance on Willbo’s “Trading Cards” podcast, Goff said local reporters – perhaps because of the Lions’ lack of recent success – tend to adopt a pessimistic outlook.
“I probably need to drop it pretty soon because I’m hopefully going to be in Detroit for a long time, but I have this thing with our local media where I think they almost relish negativity at times,” Goff said.
“Maybe that’s what gets clicks and that’s what sells, but it’s no longer what they need to live in.
“Like guys, we have a good team. We’ve had success. We can be happy about that, we can celebrate that and not have to write about how we’re constantly the underdog.
“Teams are going to be gunning for us now. We won the division and all that. I’m probably overthinking it in my head and it’s the chip on my shoulder and the competitor in me.”
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Goff threw for 4,575 yards and 30 touchdowns in 17 regular-season games last year, with both of those figures his best since he left the Rams in a blockbuster trade in 2021.
The 29-year-old is entering the final year of his contract with Detroit but is keen to commit his long-term future to the franchise.
Reflecting on his 2021 move, Goff said: “In hindsight, it’s the greatest thing to ever happen to me, for my career and my development as a human.”
