Everything happens for a reason. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. There are no mistakes, just lessons.

Some may call them cliches, others find truth in phrases like these. Over on the Glue Guys Podcast, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff said he’s still searching for potential life lessons from the team’s Super Bowl dreams crushed in back-to-back seasons.

One of the podcasts’ hosts, former NFL quarterback Alex Smith, who himself is no stranger to the ups and downs of professional sports, asked Goff if he’s had a chance to process it all yet — the Lions’ unexpected quick exit from the playoffs this past season, and the NFC Championship loss the year before that.

“There’s still the grieving process going on,” he said. “It sucks, man, and I wish there was an easier way to swallow it. You’re kind of waiting for what the lesson in it is. Maybe that doesn’t come for a long time, but there will be one.”

As disappointed as Lions fans are, you have to imagine the questions the players ask themselves often — maybe even daily — since the brutal loss in January.

“I didn’t play well enough to give us a chance to win and had I played better, would we have won? I don’t know. Potentially. Probably, and that’s the part that eats you alive every night,” Goff said.

But ever the leader, the QB said the disappointment will undoubtedly be used as motivation this upcoming season. Let’s hope the rough memories are erased as the Lions raise the Lombardi in 2026.

The group goes on to discuss Goff’s big move to Detroit, his special moments with Dan Campbell, the Jared Goff chant, and more. You can watch the full episode below.

And onto the rest of your notes.

• • Former Lion Jason Cabinda recently announced his retirement and that he’d like explore the working in media, so it’s fantastic to already see him on the airwaves co-hosting Good Morning Football.
  • Speaking of GMFB, our very own Lions superfan Megan Stefanski makes an appearance on the show!
  • The Athletic put together an interesting piece on performance-based pay. Kerby Joseph comes in as the player who earns the sixth-highest amount via the program.
  • This interaction between Terrion Arnold and newly signed D.J. Reed is hilarious.
  • You can enter now to win a front row seat to the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay as part of the Detroit Lions Inner Circle.
  • Former Lions doing some work in the community.