Detroit Lions General Manager Brad Holmes is still very confident in a decision that sparked plenty of debate at the time — the blockbuster trade that brought quarterback Jared Goff to Detroit.

Back in 2021, the Lions and the Los Angeles Rams executed one of the most talked-about trades in recent NFL history. Detroit sent longtime quarterback Matthew Stafford to L.A. and, in return, received Goff along with a treasure trove of draft picks. On the Rams’ side, Stafford went on to win a Super Bowl almost immediately — something that gave the impression L.A. had clearly won the deal.

But Holmes doesn’t see it that way.

In a recent interview with ESPN’s Field Yates, Holmes stood firm in his belief that the trade will be remembered as one of the NFL’s all-time greats — not just for what it meant for the Rams, but also for what it’s done to reshape the Lions.

Holmes Calls the Trade a Franchise-Changer

“When we got the trade done, and you heard all the ‘that was a salary dump,’ I was like look, Jared Goff… I knew what he was about, I knew how he was wired,” Holmes said during the interview.

He went on to explain how many critics were quick to write Goff off after a couple of rough outings. “I think we all suffer from the recency bias. And, the last thing was him exiting the playoffs, the last thing was him losing a Super Bowl, and I’m sitting here like… I didn’t know that your career’s defined at 24 years old, or 25 years old, whatever he was at the time. He had a lot of early success.”

Holmes believed in Goff from the start. “He had some bumps at the tail end. But I knew how talented he was, I knew how smart he was. I knew that he was a gritty, mentally tough quarterback. That’s what I did know. That’s why I felt like it was a perfect destination for him, and obviously the trade worked out. You could probably rank all-time trades, and it’s gotta be up there in terms of what it does for us and, obviously, what it did for the Rams.”

A Win-Win… So Far

To be fair, both teams have come out of the trade with significant gains. The Rams got their Super Bowl ring — the ultimate validation. Meanwhile, the Lions received not only a motivated Goff but also draft picks that turned into key young players like Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Brodric Martin, Josh Paschal, and Ifeatu Melifonwu.

The trio of Williams, Gibbs, and LaPorta already forms a vital part of Detroit’s offensive future, and all three came to the team thanks to that one transaction.

Still, there’s an elephant in the room: while Stafford already has a Super Bowl win under his belt, Goff hasn’t yet taken the Lions to the big game. Last season looked like it might be the year, but injuries and some tough breaks in the playoffs saw Detroit fall short.

Will It Go Down in History?

There’s no denying that Holmes’ bold statement could end up aging either very well or quite poorly — depending on how things unfold in the next season or two. If Goff manages to lead Detroit to its first-ever Super Bowl appearance, let alone a win, the trade might indeed deserve a place among the best the league has seen.

But until that happens, some will continue to view the deal as slightly one-sided. Holmes, however, remains firm in his stance — and believes time will ultimately prove him right.