Jared Goff enjoyed one of the best seasons of his NFL career in 2022. The quarterback led a Detroit Lions offense that ranked top five in points scored and yardage gained. Goff finished the season with 4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns through the air. He earned a Pro Bowl nod for his performance.
Goff has two years left on his current contract. His cap hit is set at roughly $30 million in each of those two years. The Lions have time to consider Goff’s future beyond his current contract. However, in the wake of star quarterback Jalen Hurts’ record-setting contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles, Goff has expressed his openness to working out a new deal of his own.
“It hasn’t been brought to my attention, but yeah, of course, open to anything, Goff said during a break in Detroit’s OTA practice. “But I just get to play, and if that comes about, that’d be great. But we’ll see.”
Lions GM Brad Holmes has committed to Goff for the 2023 season, but he has also noted the team’s need for talent behind him. Holmes recently spoke about the team potentially selecting a quarterback in the upcoming draft.
We are in a unique position with all the picks that we have to add maybe a pretty talented guy if we go that direction,” Holmes said. “But again, it doesn’t have to be the first round. It doesn’t have to be the second round. It can be at any point.”
Holmes highlighted the importance of staying transparent with Goff throughout the process.
Detroit’s decision to select a quarterback or not in the upcoming draft could be the deciding factor on if the team opens contract extension talks with Goff.
The Detroit Lions have plenty of options in the draft, now or in the future
The Lions re-signed 2022 backup Nate Sudfeld to a one-year deal. The team also reportedly has an offer on the table for veteran Teddy Bridgewater. Whatever plays out, the team is not done adding to the quarterback room.
With nine picks in the 2023 NFL draft, including four in the top 55, the Lions have the draft capital to move around and take a potential franchise quarterback early. C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis could all potentially be on the board when the Lions pick sixth overall. They could guarantee themselves one of the three if they trade up to third overall with the Arizona Cardinals.
Tanner Mckee, Hendon Hooker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson are among the names who the Lions could target outside the first round. Whether it is the first round or later rounds, the Lions could find Goff’s successor in this year’s draft.
Head coach Dan Campbell addressed the team’s need to find Goff’s eventual replacement.
“We believe we can win with Jared Goff,” Campbell said. “We also know he is not going to be here for the next 10 years. Certainly, our eyes are on potentially a quarterback. The question is where do you acquire that at?”
It could be 2023, it could be 2024 or it could be further down the road, but the Lions will be on the lookout for a young quarterback to develop as a long-term franchise quarterback.
If that decision does come further down the road, Goff will certainly be in line for an extension.
What could Jared Goff’s extension with the Detroit Lions look like?
If a contract extension is in line for Goff, it is not going to be like the one Hurts garnered this season. The Eagles’ franchise quarterback signed a five-year $255 million deal with the team. He holds an average annual value (AAV) of $51 million per season, the most in NFL history.
While Goff’s potential contract will not be that lucrative, he will not be cheap either. The quarterbacks in the same tier as Goff make $40 million-plus per season. New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones recently signed a four-year $160 million deal. A few seasons earlier, Dak Prescott signed the same deal with the Dallas Cowboys.
A roughly $40 million AAV is likely what Goff can command on the open market. Whether Detroit allows him to get there in two years or not is another matter.
Detroit’s plans in this year’s and next year’s drafts will indicate the team’s long-term plans for Goff. If the team takes a swing on a first-round quarterback, it likely signals Goff’s exit at the end of his current contract. If the team selects a developmental guy in the later rounds or takes none at all, Goff could be in for a decent-sized payday.
Goff has at least 2023 with the Detroit Lions and likely 2024 as well. Whatever his future with the team is beyond that, only time will tell. Right now, Goff is excited for the team’s future.
“Everything has been clear and open,” Goff said. “I’ve got all the trust in the world in Brad and Dan and everything they do and really excited to see what we do and where we go.”
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For more from the author, Thomas Chavez, check him out on Twitter here: @tlchavez43
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