DETROIT – Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes couldn’t help but laugh when asked about the “Jared Goff” chants that seem to break out at the most random times and places.
“I never thought — look, I guess you can’t put anything past our fans,” Holmes said. “Me and my wife went to our first Red Wings game this year and you start hearing those chants about Jared Goff, and I’m, like, ‘He’s not even in the building.‘”
Holmes spoke with Local 4’s Rhonda Walker about several topics: Black History Month, his career, building the Lions, and even his viral celebration videos. Of course his starting quarterback was going to come up.
“I’m so happy for him,” Holmes said. “Just very resilient. He came in and 2021 was a tough year, and me and Dan are all about earning it, and Jared had to earn those chances.”
Holmes said he’ll never forget scouting Goff while working for the Rams. Goff was playing for Cal at Stanford, and Holmes said he came away thinking, “Wow, this kid’s legit.”
Goff has revitalized his career in Detroit, leading the Lions to back-to-back division titles and playoff appearances, and earning himself a four-year, $212 million extension in the process.
“He’s a very mentally and physically tough person,” Holmes said. “He had to go through adversity, and then we’ve gotten better and better and better since he’s been here.”
The chant has died down for now, after Goff turned the ball over four times in the playoff loss to the Commanders. But you never know with Lions fans — it could resurface at any moment.
You can watch the full conversation with Holmes here: