Getty Baker Mayfield on the sidelines during a 2021 preseason game.
The Detroit Lions seem like they are in a good place with Jared Goff heading toward the offseason after the 2022 NFL draft, but that hasn’t stopped folks from trying to speculate about potential upgrades at the position.
While the Lions didn’t select a quarterback in the draft and haven’t added one this offseason from outside the building in free agency or via trade, Pro Football Focus thinks that the team still needs to pay the Cleveland Browns a call about Baker Mayfield, who also hasn’t found a new home despite badly desiring one.
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Mayfield figures to move on somewhere else this offseason, but his options figure to be dwindling as teams selected quarterbacks in the draft or have not prioritized him at the spot specifically. The Lions still stand out to PFF writer Anthony Treash as an ideal location for Mayfield at this point in time in a new observation piece.
Treash admits the idea of shipping Mayfield to either the Houston Texans or Lions is “wishful thinking,” but still concedes that he believes Mayfield is better than either Davis Mills or Goff, the two top options in both cities at the moment.
“Even in last year’s injury-riddled campaign, Mayfield was better than either of the two. As we saw in his 2020 campaign that ended with a top-10 85.7 PFF grade, he has a higher ceiling when healthy,” Treash wrote.
The Lions may disagree, and think they have a player who can be successful in Goff. The way the team added to the wideout mix this offseason with DJ Chark, Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond and most recently the elite Jameson Williams would seem to hint that. For this reason, a deal still seems impossible to imagine at this point in time.
Despite that, it hasn’t stopped folks in the media from beating that drum in a big way.
Brad Holmes Praised Goff Heavily After Draft
Listening to general manager Brad Holmes speak post-draft, it is now clear that moving on from Goff or adding to the position seriously has not been in the cards this offseason at all. Holmes confirmed this while speaking on 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday, May 3. Joseph Chapp was listening and provided some context as to Holmes’ thoughts on Twitter.
“Lions Brad Holmes on 97.1 The Ticket, Said “We wanted to give Jared the best chance to succeed” and “We know we can with him,” Chapp tweeted.
Those thoughts echo what Holmes had said in a roundabout way earlier in the offseason, when he had admitted that he believed Goff had the goods to deliver for the team, who had full confidence in him.
The Lions seem happy to have Goff, and think he can deliver for them given the presence of a healthier running game and offensive line in 2022. With the weapons Detroit added, they might be even more confident in Goff eventually finding his footing and delivering results comparable to his third season in the NFL, when he threw for 4,688 yards and 32 touchdowns with a solid cast of characters around him in Los Angeles.
What Lions’ Trade for Mayfield Could Look
Though a deal seems very farfetched, the Lions wouldn’t necessarily have to move on from Goff if they wanted to acquire Mayfield. The team might have to use another squad as part of a three-way trade if the Browns didn’t want to take Goff back in a potential Mayfield deal. Detroit could trade middle-round draft picks in 2023 to facilitate a move. They could also hope to find another team to take Goff off their hands in a separate trade entirely after landing Mayfield if a deal was to occur.
Detroit might not have to give up much to land Mayfield, but there’s no guarantee that the Lions would make that trade happen anyway. The team’s front office is confident in Goff, especially considering Holmes helped draft him in Los Angeles and bring him to Detroit and has added weaponry for him in the 2022 draft. Holmes has maintained that he believes in Goff, especially after his solid finish to the 2021 season which featured 10 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions for the quarterback after Thanksgiving.
Still, folks in the media have not stopped stoking the Mayfield rumors. PFF still wants to see him land in Detroit when all is said and done.
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