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Many NFL fans had written off Jared Goff as soon as he was traded to the Detroit Lions from the Los Angeles Rams for Matthew Stafford in 2021.
However, despite initial struggles for the Lions, Goff has become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. This week, he signed a four-year, $212 million contract extension that includes $170 million guaranteed. This makes him the second-highest-paid QB in the NFL behind Joe Burrow.
Goff's turnaround is quite the feat, considering many saw the 2016 NFL draft 1st overall pick as a bust by the end of his time in LA. Who else in the history of the league has proven the doubters wrong?
NFL stars who proved the doubters wrong
#5 - Brett Favre
One of the best quarterbacks in NFL history had to prove the doubters wrong to make it into the pros. After being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1991, Falcons HC Jerry Glanville said he didn't approve of the pick and it would 'take a plane crash' to put Favre in the game. His first career pass went for a pick-six, and in his sole season in Atlanta, he attempted four passes - completing none.
After this disastrous season, Favre was traded to the Green Bay Packers, and the rest is history. Super Bowl champion, 3x NFL MVP, NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1995, 11x Pro Bowler and 6x All-Pro. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
#4 - Jared Goff
Jared Goff is the latest of the array of NFL stars who proved the doubters wrong.
After being selected 1st overall by the LA Rams in the 2016 NFL draft, Goff was solid if unspectacular in Los Angeles but did make a pair of Pro Bowl appearances as well as leading the team to Super Bowl LIII, where the Rams lost out to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Goff was traded to the Lions for Matt Stafford, plus the Rams’ first-round draft picks in 2022 and 2023 and a 2021 third-round pick, proving how little faith they had in Goff then. He's since become the face of one of the most exciting teams in the NFL, and he has led Detroit to their first playoff win since 1992 this past season.
#3 - Steve Young
After deciding to enter the USFL rather than the NFL post-college, QB Steve Young eventually made the switch to the NFL by joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1984.
However, Young was part of one of the worst teams in the league, going 2-14 in both seasons with the team and 3-16 as a starter. He threw for just 11 touchdowns versus 21 interceptions in that time.
Young proved doubters wrong. After joining the 49ers to back up Joe Montana, Young eventually succeeded the legendary QB. With San Francisco, Young won three Super Bowls, two NFL MVPs, earned All-Pro six times, and was voted to seven Pro Bowls. He retired after the 1999 season, having accounted for 275 total touchdowns and thrown for 33,124 yards. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
#2 - Lamar Jackson
Many NFL scouts had written off QB Lamar Jackson before he'd even played a snap in the NFL. There were rumors swirling at the 2018 NFL Combine that some GMs and scouts had requested Jackson to try out as a wide receiver - citing he didn't have the skill set to make it as a QB in the NFL.
His draft stock took a hit, too, falling to 32nd overall in the 2018 NFL draft, where the Baltimore Ravens selected him. They were vindicated for their faith in the Louisville quarterback, though, as Jackson has won two NFL MVPs and has been voted All-Pro three times in his short career.
He also set the single-season rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,206 in 2019, and his next hurdle will be to lead the Ravens to their first Super Bowl since 2013.
#1 - Kurt Warner
There's unlikely to be a more apt story in all of sports about proving the doubters wrong than that of Kurt Warner.
After failing to make the grade in the NFL, he began stacking shelves at a local supermarket in Iowa. After a stint playing in the Arena Football League (AFL), he moved to NFL Europe, the Amsterdam Admirals, before eventually getting a shot in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams.
After an injury to starter Trent Green in the preseason, Warner was named starter for the 1999 season and threw three touchdown passes in each of his three starts. He won two NFL MVPs, a Super Bowl ring, and was the spearhead of arguably the best offense in NFL history - 'The Greatest Show on Turf.'
He retired after the 2009 season with 208 passing touchdowns and 32,344 passing yards. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and a film about his life 'American Underdog' was released in 2021.
