A Round 1 quarterback was thought to be in consideration for the Detroit Lions, but they ultimately waited until the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft to select Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker.
Detroit now has a young signal-caller on its roster, but Hooker’s draft capital suggests he’s more of a developmental option. Meanwhile, recent tea leaves indicate that the Lions view Jared Goff as something more than a bridge quarterback, and he could earn a contract extension in the near future.
Will the Detroit Lions Extend Jared Goff?
Following a miserable first year with the Lions, Goff re-emerged in 2022 and looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Buoyed by an excellent offensive line and creative play-calling from coordinator Ben Johnson, Goff looked like the version of himself that led the Rams to multiple playoff appearances and a Super Bowl trip.
In addition to throwing for 4,438 yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, Goff was elite in nearly every rate metric. The former No. 1 overall pick ranked third in Football Outsiders’ DYAR, fourth in adjusted net yards per attempt, fifth in QBR, and sixth in expected points added per dropback.
Goff has put up this type of performance before. When he was similarly surrounded by weapons in Los Angeles and working in an offense schemed by Sean McVay, Goff looked like a perennial Pro Bowler. The Rams rewarded him with a four-year, $134 million extension that seemingly locked him in as the club’s starter for years to come.
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However, Goff played just two more seasons in Los Angeles before McVay, irritated with Goff’s physical limitations, shipped him to the Lions as part of the Matthew Stafford trade.
Detroit doesn’t seem worried that they’ll eventually tire of Goff, as they’re repeatedly backed him as their long-term starter. In December, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the Lions do not view Goff as a bridge QB. At his end-of-season press conference, general manager Brad Holmes again touted Goff, saying, “I think it’s a lot easier to get worse at quarterback than to get better at quarterback in this league.”
Although Goff still has two years remaining on his contract, Detroit is interested in extending him.
“Yeah, we’ve had dialogue there,” Holmes told WXYT-FM earlier this month. “We’ve had dialogue with his agent, and we’re in a good place right now.”
The Lions’ selection of Hooker doesn’t figure to impact their plans with Goff. Hooker, only three years younger than Goff, tore his ACL in November and is still undergoing a recovery process, and Detroit views him as more of a long-term lottery ticket.
“Really, this is a redshirt year for (Hooker),” Lions head coach Dan Campbell recently said on the Green Light Podcast with Chris Long. “He’s got to get this leg right first, and then he’ll learn under Jared (Goff), and then let’s see what happens. If he can eventually become your two or maybe down the road, later on, it’s more than that, but it’s going to be a long time.”
What Would a New Contract for Goff Look Like?
The Lions have had opportunities to grab promising young QB prospects in each of the last two drafts, but they declined until selecting Hooker 68th overall in 2023. Given that Detroit is presumably hoping it won’t hold a top-five draft pick again for the foreseeable future, it makes sense that they’d be willing to commit to Goff.
But it’s also fair for the Lions to have questions about Goff’s ability to keep up his 2022 level of performance. After leading one of the NFL’s best offenses, Johnson drew head coaching interest from several teams but eventually bowed out of every race. If he takes a top job next offseason and Detroit has to find a new offensive coordinator, will Goff be able to repeat his production?
There’s also no real sense of urgency for the Lions to extend Goff. They’re third in the NFL with more than $25 million of available cap space, so it’s not as if they need to create extra funds. Goff’s cap hits over the next two years — between $30 and $32 million — are more than manageable. Giving him a new deal might be more about optics and the Lions firmly committing to him as their starter.
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That could be a dangerous strategy, especially given how much time is remaining on Goff’s current contract. Just ask the Rams, who extended Goff two years before they needed to and eventually regretted that decision.
Goff became one of the NFL’s highest-paid quarterbacks when he inked his extension with the Rams in 2019, but his $33.5 million annual salary now ranks 14th at the position.
A short-term extension could work out for both sides. A two-year, $82 million pact would place Goff just above Daniel Jones, Dak Prescott, and Stafford in average annual value and put him on schedule to reach free agency in advance of his age-33 season.
Goff might want to lock in guaranteed cash, but it might behoove him to wait on a new deal. Contracts for Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert will drag the QB market to an even more expensive arena in the coming months. And if Goff can post top-10 quarterback numbers and guide the Lions to a playoff berth in 2023, his price tag will only go up.