The Detroit Lions have shaken up a ton of things in the last few months, and the reviews on the moves haven’t always been great for the team.
Many aren’t sure the Lions improved themselves enough to be a serious threat in the NFC this year, but others are very bullish on the moves the team made, including the addition of Jared Goff to the mix at quarterback.
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Recently, writer Brad Gagnon ranked the 25 best moves in the NFL this offseason, and Detroit’s decision to deal for Goff perhaps surprisingly placed 18th on the list. As he said, while the Los Angeles Rams’ side of the deal will get plenty of attention
He wrote:
“Both the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions will be paying huge sums to Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff in 2021. That’s what happens when you swap highly paid quarterbacks with oodles of dead money on their contracts.
But the Lions owe their current and former quarterbacks a heck of a lot less ($29.7 million compared to $44.7 million), and they collected two first-round picks and a third-round selection without surrendering any draft capital in the process.
Is Goff better than Stafford? Meh, it’s a tough call. He’s younger and he’s experienced more playoff success, while Stafford’s numbers have been much better than Goff’s the last couple of seasons.
But the key is that after 12 years without a single playoff win with Stafford under center, the Lions needed a change. In this case, they made that change while bringing in a talented young quarterback (who absolutely could excel in a new setting) along with three primo draft picks.
The move could backfire if Stafford takes off in L.A. and Goff continues to regress as he has since bombing in Super Bowl LIII, but it makes a hell of a lot of sense for Detroit right now.”
The Lions are betting on Goff not only being much better than he has been, but the draft picks playing a huge role in the team’s turnaround as well. From that end, it’s a smart move to bring Goff into the mix and also get the picks. Losing Matthew Stafford may hurt a bit in the short term, but the trade was a good way to spark a restructure for the team.
Lions Had Active Offseason of Moves
The Lions have been one of the more active teams this offseason in terms of moves. Not only did the Lions make the Goff trade, but they also dealt for defensive lineman Michael Brockers of the Rams, and made several other additions to the mix at wideout, running back and on the defensive side of the ball as well. The Lions also started over at kicker, bringing in Randy Bullock to compete for a job.
Add it all up and the Lions have been arguably the most active team in football as it relates to renovating their roster. For a move to appear as one of the best of the offseason is merely another feather in the cap for new general manager Brad Holmes.
Goff’s Career Stats Could Lead to Hope
If there’s a reason to think Goff might be a bit better than many expect and the move might turn out, it’s his production during his career to this point. Clearly, Detroit isn’t just getting a pair of first-round draft picks and a third-round pick, they are getting a quarterback who was in the Super Bowl just two years ago. Goff, a former top pick himself in 2016 out of Cal, has been a dependable player who has won plenty of big games in his career in the rough and tumble NFC West. So far, he’s thrown 107 touchdowns, 55 interceptions, 18,171 yards and has been a two-time Pro Bowler in 2017 and 2018.
Now, it’s on Goff to step up and prove that he can still be a quality quarterback as many assume he will do.
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Lions Trade Named One of Top Moves From 2021 NFL Offseason