As expected, there were plenty of reactions to the Los Angeles Rams’ trade of quarterback Jared Goff in a deal that brought over Matthew Stafford from the Lions.
One of those reactions, however, drew a connection between Fox NFL analyst Troy Aikman and the apparent falling out between Goff and Rams coach Sean McVay.
In a post-trade column from NFL.com writer Michael Silver, it was suggested that Aikman’s criticism of Goff during Fox broadcasts could have been seen by Goff as McVay’s “far from glowing” remarks behind the scenes during production meetings.
Well, Aikman wasn’t exactly pleased to get thrown into the Goff-McVay drama. On Monday, he responded to Silver in an interview with Sports Illustrated:
“Unlike Michael Silver, I strive to be fair and balanced and do not have an agenda when doing my job. The record will show that I have been a strong supporter of Jared Goff’s over the years. Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Rams and Jared Goff, he did not perform at his best in the games that I broadcasted this season and I’m confident Jared would be the first to agree.”
And even if Aikman did criticize Goff during Fox broadcasts, he wouldn’t have necessarily been out of line. After all, Goff struggled down the final stretch of the season, was limited with a thumb injury and lost to the Jets (the Jets!).
It would have been a worse look had Aikman praised Goff when he struggled, which he obviously wasn’t willing to do.
