ProFootballDoc: We Told You About Jared Goff And Jimmy Garoppolo

In a January OutKick ProFootballDoc podcast entitled "Hiding Behind Health" (episode 63), we predicted that Jared Goff had fallen out of favor with the Rams. The offseason trade to the Lions for Matthew Stafford then happened.

In that same piece, we analyzed the Jimmy Garoppolo high ankle sprain and opined that the 49ers were no longer in love with their QB. Now comes the blockbuster trade up to No. 3 overall. 

No one gives up multiple future first rounders to draft a non-quarterback this high. The writing was on the wall during the season, and we discussed how San Francisco dealt with Garoppolo's injury (11:30 of the podcast). Now it is clear that his team is headed in a different direction.

The way the Rams treated the Goff thumb injury gave a big clue that they would soon move on from him. The same can be said for the Garoppolo situation with the high ankle sprain. In both cases, I felt the listed QB1s could have returned more quickly from their respective injuries than they did and that it seemed that their teams were holding them out. This is not a commentary on either player's toughness or desire to play but rather how the team looked at them.

Hiding behind health seems to have come true in these two cases. Teams do it all the time. Check out the podcast to hear our full explanation from January.