Getty Dan Campbell talks with Jared Goff before a 2021 game against the Rams.
The Detroit Lions have a big decision to make this offseason with regards to the quarterback spot, and while many see Jared Goff as on the borderline, the team itself might not feel that way at all.
Goff has played well for the last few weeks of the season prior to being forced to sit out Week 16 with COVID, and it’s clear that the Lions may have noticed this in a big way. As a result, his future could be coming into much better focus.
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Speaking on 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday, December 28 as recapped by Justin Rogers of the Detroit News, Campbell was asked directly about Goff’s future with the team. As he said, the quarterback has played well down the stretch and he doesn’t see a reason why Goff can’t be the guy for the Lions in 2022.
Dan Campbell was asked on 97.1 if Jared Goff can be the team’s long-term quarterback: “Yeah, I mean I don’t see why not. He’s playing pretty good ball now.”
“Yeah, I mean I don’t see why not. He’s playing pretty good ball now,” Campbell said of Goff on the station as tweeted by Rogers.
Goff is coming on and has thrown for 898 yards and 9 touchdowns in his last four games. Those numbers are amongst the best of the best in the NFL over that span, and prove that Goff could be the right guy for the Detroit roster to grow with in the short term.
As many have already written, that would make the most sense. Potentially, the team would agree.
Why Lions Are Unlikely to Move on From Goff
While many will be quick to point out that Campbell commented on Goff’s need to step up and play better a few months back, the quarterback seems to have accepted the challenge. While Campbell did call out Goff, that took place months ago, and the quarterback has played winning football for the Lions since. Additionally, cutting Goff would not only not save the Lions a ton of money, but it would open a gaping hole on the roster for 2022. With no elite quarterbacks to be taken near the top of the draft and the team likely to be shut out of a big name, this would force the Lions to roll the dice on drafting a quarterback while hoping he panned out immediately. By keeping Goff, the Lions would allow this player more time if they did select him with Goff entrenched as the starter.
Besides, as his most recent performance in Week 15 showed, Goff could be trending upward in Detroit as a starter himself:
While many will dream of the Lions moving on from Goff right away, it doesn’t seem like it is going to happen. That is especially true given the words of Campbell.
Lions Best Path With Goff Involves Drafting Quarterback
So what should the Lions do with Goff long-term even if they keep him around? While the quarterback still has his detractors in the fanbase, it doesn’t change the fact that he has been very solid for the team and has made his fair share of eye-opening plays down the stretch. As a result, there is no need for the Lions to open another gaping hole on the roster by letting Goff go an incurring a major financial hit as well. As a result, Detroit’s best plan for the future revolves around keeping Goff while searching for a young backup quarterback to learn behind him.
While Goff has had his struggles, the team’s biggest weakness remains in the fact that they have not drafted a competent young quarterback. Tim Boyle and David Blough aren’t igniting fear into opposing fanbases or teams as Week 16 showed. Thus, the team should look to the drafts in 2022 or 2023 for young passer, with the Lions taking a very hard look at this year’s class with their second first-round pick and second-round selection in the draft. From there, the team can develop a quarterback and also have Goff on the roster.
Goff has proven he can be the guy to lead the Lions to wins in both the short and long term, which is why his future should now be very safe with the team. After hearing Campbell’s words, that could seem to be the case.
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