The Detroit Lions drafted Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft. But that doesn’t mean the Lions are casting current starting quarterback Jared Goff to the curb.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes shared during a guest appearance May 2 on “The Stoney & Jansen Show” on 97.1 The Ticket that the team has begun contract negotiations with Goff.
“We’ve had dialogue there,” Holmes said. “We’ve had dialogue with his agent, and we’re in a good place right now.”
An extension for Goff likely won’t come cheaply. The 28-year-old quarterback experienced one of his best seasons last year with 4,438 passing yards and 29 touchdowns versus only 7 interceptions.
Behind those statistics, Goff made his third Pro Bowl and first since 2018.
Goff Open to Contract Extension With Lions
Goff has yet to respond to the new contract negotiations with the Lions. But he did comment in April about the possibility of an extension.
“It hasn’t been brought to my attention, but yeah, of course, open to anything. Not up to me,” he said during an April 18 press conference. “I’m a player, I don’t have to make those decisions. And if I did, I would have made that decision a long time ago: Give me and all my friends all the money in the world.
“But I just get to play, and if that comes about, that’d be great.”
Goff will be entering his third season in Detroit this fall. While he hasn’t produced the same gaudy passing numbers as his predecessor, Matthew Stafford, Goff has been more than serviceable.
That’s especially true when considering the trade return the Lions received for Stafford (in addition to Goff).
Goff owns a 12-18-1 overall record as Detroit’s starting quarterback but led the Lions to a 9-8 mark during 2022. With him behind center again, the Lions are expected to make a jump in the NFC North this fall.
Lions Drafted QB Hendon Hooker in Third Round
Detroit spent a third-round pick on Hooker, but that doesn’t appear to be a factor whatsoever in the team’s desire to re-sign their current starter.
Barring an unforeseen event, Goff will remain the Lions starter through at least 2024, which is when his current contract expires. He possesses a cap hit of about $31 million each of the next two seasons.
With quarterbacks Daniel Jones, Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson receiving contract extensions this offseason, the price for signal callers is only going up. 97.1 The Ticket’s Will Burchfield argued that Goff could command $40 million per season on a new deal.
That price will only continue to rise if Goff, who could also be motivated for a new contract before the season, keeps playing well.
“Holmes and the Lions believe in Goff as their long-term quarterback,” Burchfield wrote. “His price tag will only increase if he continues to play well, so they might prefer to pay him now instead of kicking a more expensive deal down the road.
“And for Goff, it’s an opportunity to cash in while his stock with the Lions is high.”
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Lions’ Brad Holmes Breaks Silence on QB Jared Goff’s Future