Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff enjoyed a fantastic season this year, leading the Lions to their first division title in three decades and their first playoff win since January 1992.
Goff guided Detroit all the way to the NFC Championship Game, where the Lions ultimately fell to the San Francisco 49ers after blowing a 24-7 halftime lead.
The future certainly looks bright for Goff in the Motor City, and Lions general manager Brad Holmes raved about his signal-caller this week.
“I’ve always had belief in Jared. You guys have always heard me [say] that,” Holmes said, via the Lions’ official X account. “I don’t know what more needs to be said from a leadership or performance standpoint — or what more he needs to do in that regard. But in terms of the belief as always, I think I said this to you guys before, he got drafted in ’16 and he wasn’t a full-time starter. But ’17 was his first year as a full-time starter and he made the playoffs. And got exited versus the Falcons that year, but the second year as a full-time starter, he went to a Super Bowl. And what I didn’t understand — I didn’t understand why his career was defined after he went to a Super Bowl [in his] second year as a full-time starter.”
Here is the thing: Goff’s contract expires at the end of next season, and Detroit has yet to open up negotiations with the 29-year-old on a potential long-term deal.
But based on how much Holmes appears to like Goff, it seems relatively safe to say that the Lions will try to get something done with the three-time Pro Bowler this spring.
Goff threw for 4,575 yards, 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 67.3 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 97.9 this season.
The University of California product was originally selected by the Los Angeles Rams with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent the first five years of his career with the Rams before being traded to the Lions for Matthew Stafford in March 2021.
After some up and down years in Los Angeles, Jared Goff certainly seems to have hit his stride in Detroit.