Allen Park — Brad Holmes rarely has much to say about contract negotiations, but the Detroit Lions general manager didn’t close the door on getting extensions done for either guard Jonah Jackson or quarterback Jared Goff, with the team set to open the regular season next week.
“We’ve kept open dialogue with their agents in camp, and I think the transparency is that’s been good,” Holmes said. “We’ll see how it goes.”
Positional value aside, there’s more urgency with Jackson, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The three-year veteran, who earned Pro Bowl honors in 2021, is set to be a free agent at the end of the season. Based on the going rate, he’s in line for an extension that should easily average double-digit millions per season.
Because of performance and playing-time incentives, Jackson is set to earn a $2.99 million salary this season, with a $3.26 million cap hit.
As for Goff, the Lions have slightly more time. He has two years remaining on the four-year, $134 million contract he originally signed with the Los Angeles Rams. The benefit of working out an extension early is the ability to lower the player’s immediate cap hit — Goff carries a $30.98 million cap hit this year — and the Lions can lock in a lower rate with salaries and the cap continually rising.
There are currently nine quarterbacks with contracts averaging $40 million or more per season, including New York Giants starter Daniel Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million extension this offseason. That’s generally perceived as the floor for a new deal for Goff, who is coming off one of the best seasons of his career.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter/X: @Justin_Rogers