Jared Goff of the Lions explains contentious remarks made by the Detroit media.

Written by Zac Wassink; modified on April 23, 2.

Jared Goff, the quarterback for the Detroit Lions, made news when he claimed in a recent podcast interview that some members of the Detroit media “relish in negativity” about the team they cover.

In a Tuesday interview with ESPN’s Eric Woodyard, Goff emphasized that he has felt “a ton of positivity” ever since he signed a formal contract with the Lions in March 2021.

As things sometimes go, it might have gotten a little misconstrued,” Goff clarified in reference to his initial remarks. “I was talking about the question that was posed to me during that news conference. That was the question I was responding to. Though I wouldn’t really know, I wasn’t suggesting there weren’t any good news stories; rather, they have seemed positive to me. I said that I didn’t think it was unique to Detroit and that occasionally, some people seemed to welcome the bad news.”

Goff specifically mentioned in the podcast and in his conversation with Woodyard how the 29-year-old was questioned about the quantity of elite players playing for the San Francisco 49ers prior to this past January’s NFC Championship Game. Goff assisted the Lions in winning their first postseason game since January 1992 earlier that month.

Goff said to Woodyard, “I was talking about our local guys, but I think that’s kind of the world.” “Not to get too fancy just now, but it wasn’t really unique to Detroit; it was more about the global media, sports media, especially NFL media, and the click-bait rollercoaster that is. However, I suppose I need to have been a little more precise in that.”

Given that Goff is in the last year of his deal, this may be the biggest concern looming over the Lions prior to the draft, which begins on Thursday night. Prior to the 2024 season, he expressed his desire to remain in Detroit.

Goff said, “Just focus on what matters and trying to get better and help our team win games, advance further than we did last year and hopefully be the last team standing at the end,” in reference to putting aside concerns about a potential contract extension. “That’s all I’m thinking about.”

After a good season, Goff acknowledged on Tuesday that the Lions “got a lot of work to do” because of the increased expectations. Detroit was ranked equal for fourth among the betting favorites at +1200 odds to win Super Bowl LIX in February 2025 as of late Tuesday afternoon on DraftKings Sportsbook.