At the end of October, it was reported that no one within the Lions organization truly believed that Jared Goff was the team’s quarterback of the future. Could four wins in the last five games have changed that?
Sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com that the Lions are not looking to move on from Goff and that he is expected to remain in the Motor City for the foreseeable future. The obvious caveat is that much will depend on how he finishes the 2022 season, but his performance through Week 13 of the current campaign — which includes his best quarterback rating (95.7) and yards per pass attempt average (7.5) since 2018 — has GM Brad Holmes thinking that Goff is more than just a bridge option.
Holmes has consistently maintained that he took Goff as part of the return in the 2021 Matthew Stafford trade not only because assuming his contract allowed Holmes to improve the draft capital he received from the Rams, but also because he saw Goff as a quality passer that had the ability to get back to the Pro Bowl form he displayed over the 2017-18 seasons. Regardless of Holmes’ evaluation of Goff, however, he really had no choice but to retain the former No. 1 overall pick for at least two years once the decision was made to acquire him; getting out from under Goff’s contract before then would have been nearly impossible.
That will no longer be the case in 2023. If Holmes were so inclined, he could cut Goff and save upwards of $20MM in cap space, and he might also find a reasonably robust trade market. On the other hand, the same factors that make Goff appealing to would-be trade partners — his manageable base salaries of $20.7MM and $21.7MM over the next two years, along with his solid play — make him equally appealing to the Lions, who have two first-round choices in the 2023 draft and who could use those selections to improve other areas of the roster.
The 2023 first-rounder that Detroit acquired from the Rams is presently slotted at No. 4 overall. The Lions could certainly use that pick to acquire a top collegiate passer and retain Goff for at least one more season, though today’s report suggests that the team may not be as apt to draft a QB as it was just a few weeks ago. If Goff maintains his level of performance down the stretch — and he now has a full complement of skill-position players at his disposal, including 2022 first-rounder Jameson Williams — he may not have to worry about a rookie taking his job next season.
If I’m the Lions at 4, currently, I’m drooling over the chance to draft Bryce Young and pair him Williams. If they get him without trading up a spot or two I’d take that. Goff isn’t old but if you’re rebuilding and he’s rebuilding his value. Look at QB contracts. Hell the Rams would even love Goff back. But if he gets taken ahead of you so be it. Then you get a top LB or another DB to help that D.
I rather the Lions draft all defense with their first 3 picks & draft a QB late 2nd round. Dak Prescott & Russell Wilson were not first round picks. Don’t need to be reminded for every Justin Herbert there’s three Mitch Trubinsky’s!
I thoroughly agree with Mike Tainer of Football Outsiders. Justin is way overrated. Mike has knocked him on multiple occasions, but here’s his most recent article on the Justin hype bubble.
link to footballoutsiders.com
As a Steelers fan, I would love to have the “overrated” Herbert I’m just a casual viewer of Chargers games but from the outside, it seems like all the guy does is put a lot of points on the board
So does Cousins. You want him as well?
As a Panthers fan, yes i would right now
Over Tua? Tua is playing at an MVP level this year. Not Justin.
Tua is an absolute fraud. Sure, he looks good throwing against the Texans but once he plays a good defense like the 49ers, he peed down his leg. If Hill/Waddle can’t bail him out, he turns into Samoan Trent Dilfer.
LOL LOL REALLY!? After tonight back to earth. He’s the reason they lost the last 2 and welcome to Buffalo in December. Tua is below average, period.
Chargers are 7-6, 3 games behind KC, and already lost to them.
Cousins isn’t a leader. He puts up meaningless numbers for a team destined to lose early in the playoffs.
At least Cousins gets to the playoffs.
Give me Cousins over Pickett 100/100 times
Give Pickett a little time. He’s already demonstrated the ability to read defenses and hit receivers in stride, as he did in college. He’s also demonstrated to be a tough competitor. He may not have Justin Herbert’s arm, but he does have qualities that will enable his team to win. And this is coming from a Browns fan.
His ceiling is Kirk Cousins
I’m with you tired. I don’t get the Herbert hate. Outside of Burrow, there isn’t any young QB I’d prefer to watch or love to have, not that I’m wishing Pickett gone.
Herbert is one of the best young QBs in the league. ‘Way overrated’ is an absurd claim.
Overrated is absurd yes, but overhyped is also true. He doesn’t seem to have the ‘it’ factor like Burrow just yet. He doesn’t seem to win at a consistent enough level. 22-23 in his career. 0 playoff games. Yes, he has some banged up offenses in the past. But Joe wins without his #1.
Yeah, take like Bennett or Hooker in round 3 or 4
I don’t think Young is getting past Houston at 1.
agreed, hard to see him dropping to 2, much less 4.
Someone would make Chicago a godfather offer if he went past one, I think.
If Brice young is drafted early in the first round I’d be shocked
I say that because drafting mayfield #1 overall was a mistake by the browns. And drafting Goff #1 overall was a mistake by the Rams. Scouts and GM’s sure know how to over rate players.
And Joe Burrow was also drafted #1 overall.
That was warranted because Burrow is very good
All those guys were very good in college, and Bryce Young is a very good prospect. You may not think so, but you think a lot of things.
There have been failures in every first round of the draft… not to pick a QB at #1 based on the reality that other #1 overall QB picks have failed isn’t good rationale…
Young just looks so short, can’t get on board with him. I think he is a hell of a college football player but he can’t see over linemen.
Can’t see over linemen? He plays at Alabama. He’s been playing with NFL-sized linemen his whole career.
Goff is playing well in that offense. And he’s not “old”. They need to bolster that defense.
The Lions have the luxury of indecision. There are several areas that could use bolstering on the roster (despite many attempts, the secondary still needs depth at least and another starter at most). Looking at Detroit, it’s actually very impressive how good the offense has been, because one can name more positions than expected that could use investment. For a unit with such potential for explosive games, there are more places than you’d think that could use picks. The Lions could select a QB with their top pick and be fine. They could pick a top guy and sit him while Goff plays if they wanted.
They need so much more talent in the back of that defense.
I trust our gm finally
I can’t imagine they’re enthused about Goff as a long term answer, but he would be a great bridge QB if they take one of the more raw guys who could use some time sitting.
I think that if they see a guy that they like, they’ll grab him. If not, I doubt that they force the move. The Lions showed great patience last year by selecting Williams instead of a knee-jerk QB pick, and Goff has rewarded them mostly with better play than a rookie would have this year as they continue to build the roster in other areas. That also is, admittedly, one reason that the Hockenson deal was so puzzling, especially for what amounts simply to a move up earlier in the draft.
Otherwise though, Holmes and Campbell have a commitment to building the culture and roster piece by piece. Unless this is a ploy simply to keep other teams from leaping them for a QB (or affect the market for either their pick or Goff himself), I don’t think that they’ll pick a QB simply to pick one. I think they’ll take who they like, and having Goff allows them to build the other areas on the team as they go. If that player that they like is a QB who might benefit from sitting, so be it. Goff allows them to have that luxury of having him sit if need be.
That’s all reasonable, but as a Jets fan and as someone who’s watched the Colts with great interest, I see the danger in building a team good enough everywhere else to not be in range to draft a QB while not having a good long term answer there.
True, which is exactly why the Lions can afford to do whatever they want with that pick and not have to start the player immediately if he is a QB. If they don’t feel that the player is the right guy, they don’t have to take him and force that decision (as the Jets did with Zach Wilson) or they can sit him for a year or even two.
I don’t think that Detroit will be a championship caliber team next year, but I do see your proposed scenario being possible, where they are good enough to miss on a top flight QB. The Campbell regime has, however, taken a rather old school approach to team building, where the winning culture seems to be more important than the tanking for higher level talent. I think that the latter can work very well, but the former hasn’t been done in a while (winning as the primary objective over rebuild value). I’ll be interested to see how it works. I do agree with your statements, I just wanted to add that.
I agree, AK. If I’m Detroit, I wouldn’t feel pressured to take a QB. I’m not high on the QBs in this draft class though.
If I were the GM, I’d hope to be able to nab Jalen Carter at #4 and some defensive backfield help at #15. That’d be a big boost to the defense. In ’24, if you don’t feel Goff is the guy, you can make a play for a QB then.
Exactly! This is what the Lions should do..build the D and take the QB in the 2nd round
Im a giants fan and i’m envious of what the Lions are building. Offense is set so no need to even mess with that. Defense defense defense is where the lions should go in round 1. Build that defense and lions can win division in 2023
Part of the reason the Lions are so strong on offense is that building their O-line was a priority…. It’s one of the better units in the NFL and enhances the players in the skill positions…
You don’t take a QB unless you truly believe in them at the next level. Like I said before, I trust Holmes in evaluating.
Almost all of our picks have played a role this year. Our 3.rd round safety received the most fan votes for pro bowl. Our 4th round WR last year looks like top 10-15 WR in the league and almost all of our rookies are playing meaningful minutes.
It shows our depth isn’t great, but also these guys are playing at a prettt high level.
Goff has exceeded expectations. His problem in LA was his coach
Part of why Goff has exceeded expectations is that he has an O-line that is one of the better ones around and they protect him well…. and his offense coordinator calls plays that fit his skill set…
Those 4 recent Lion wins came against teams with a combined 17-24 record. Seems a little premature to be discussing anyone as a long term opinion.
That’s all quite true, but it is also intriguing to see a Lions team putting up 30+ points multiple times in a season. There were some good Stafford days, but the Lions offense has been mostly ghastly for the last few decades. The defense obviously does not measure to the ferocious Suh led four man fronts of the Schwartz (and later Caldwell) era, but the team has had a lot more positive than they did two years ago. We’ll see if they can build going forward, but it’s good to see Detroit able to have the opportunity to look forward instead of dwelling on an urgent issue in the present.
Yeah, I don’t get it. Damn exciting team to watch that’s only getting better
Make that 5 recent wins and a combined 27-26 record
We’ll concede the Lions a quality win there but now it’s off to New York. The last time they won on the road in regulation time after Thanksgiving against an opponent with a winning record was the final week of the 2006 season, against a Cowboy team resting players in preparation for the playoffs. If they beat the Jets it will be the first time they’ve had double wins in New York since 2000.
I don’t think it’s fair to hold the franchises inept past against the current team…. All different people in charge and obviously different players… I understand the skepticism but this is a very different team than years past.
Your point is completely valid but it’s still interesting to examine long standing historical trends that seem to defy logic.
Some of these stats end up like a ghost haunting a team. There was the decades of losses against Washington, then they couldn’t win in Green Bay, then it was can’t win outdoors in the cold…
The colts would love another mediocre immobile QB
Think it’s pretty simple.
Lions have bigger issues than QB, Goff is still young ish, and let’s just see what he can do now Williams is back.
As someone said above for every Justin Herbert (good young player) there’s always 3 Mitch Trubiskys (busts).
What I’d like to see them do is make a bidding for war for teams looking to move up for a QB, maybe the raiders would have interest, the colts, or the panthers.
Say you then end up with 8th pick from the Colts and an additional 3rd and 4th.
At 8 give me, Kelee Ringo. With your own pick at around 16 I’ll take, Trenton Simpson.
At 47, Siaki Ika the huge DT and at 61 hope and pray for Hendon Hooker.
Then you have two in the 3rd thanks to the Colts, a 4th, a 5th and two in the 6th.
Ringo would be huge with Okudah and Joseph in the backfield. Simpson is a huge upgrade at LB and Ika helps massively against the run. Still need more but good direction to head
Goff was a #1 overall pick, led a team to an NFC championship and Super Bowl appearance and is playing well.
So, obviously you want to ignore all of that and roll the dice on the shiniest new thing instead of building a team around him.
One of the possible results of this 2022 Lions season is that Free Agents may not look past signing in Detroit. They need defense. A run stopper for sure and some secondary help too. They can look to late rounds to get depth for their very good O-Line.
Goff is the beneficiary of a solid receiving core and the O-Line. Look what happened to Stafford with the Rams O-Line retirement, free agency loss and injuries, he’s now a spectator. A highly compensated spectator.
Not sure what the guy has to do to impress Lions fans. He’s the beneficiary of a solid receiving core and O-line? Gee, what QB isn’t. Problem is, not all QB’s excel in such conditions. Look at Mayfield
Goff is putting up big numbers every week. Odd that some think the grass is greener with someone else
Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell have stated over and over, even when the team was 1-6 that Goff was their guy. They aren’t going to draft a quarterback in the first couple of rounds this year. Holmes has stated that they will not draft for need, but will draft the best player, that fits the Lion culture, regardless of position. That is not this year’s quarterback class. Goff is gaining confidence, he gives the Lions top 10 quarterback play, and is very inexpensive the next two years.
Goff is a perfectly solid QB, still fairly young, under a reasonable contract (as far as QBs go). Build around him. Pump some resources into that defense.
Seriously, build a great team and if Goff fails, history shows that young QB’s do best when they inherit good teams.
Far more often than when QB’s are the first piece and have to suffer while the team is built around them.
They can always draft a QB down the line if he fails.