Getty Jared Goff walks off the field in 2019 after playing the Seahawks.
The Detroit Lions traded for Jared Goff this offseason, and while the move seems to be going well for the team thus far, that hasn’t stopped some from pointing out the opportunities for storm clouds to arrive.
Goff has struggled recently after a tough 2020 season on the field, and when combined with his massive contract, that means the Lions could be taking on a very significant risk for the future. In the end, that contract rather than Goff’s play might make the move significantly risky to the team.
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Bleacher Report has been taking a closer look at the riskiest moves that every team in the league has made, and when it came to the Lions, the Goff move was tops on the list, but mostly due to the contract that the quarterback brings with him. Gary Davenport named the Goff addition the riskiest move for the team this year.
He wrote:
“It’s absolutely understandable that the Detroit Lions traded Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff and a package of draft picks. Stafford wanted out of Detroit, and a veteran quarterback and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 were a solid return.
But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t risk involved with adding the 26-year-old—largely because of his abomination of a contract.
It’s true that Goff has a career record of 42-27. He led the Rams to a berth in Super Bowl LIII and has been named to two Pro Bowls. But his level of play fell off considerably in 2020, leading the Rams to move on from the first overall pick in 2016.
The Lions won’t really have that option—at least not until 2023. The four-year, $134 million extension the Rams gave Goff makes it all but impossible to release him before then.”
The Lions have been able to maneuver the cap so they will be significantly under for the 2021 season. While they carry plenty of dead cap money, none of this will matter if Goff plays up to his past potential or even exceeds it on the field. Either of those outcomes are certainly possible given the fit he seems to enjoy within his new city.
Goff Not Looked at as Bridge Quarterback for Lions
Getting rid of Goff doesn’t seem like something the Lions will be prepared to do at this point, and that’s especially true given the words of the team’s new general manager Brad Holmes.
Many have been operating under the assumption that Goff is a placeholder for a rookie quarterback in Detroit in the next few seasons, but it’s more than possible that anyone thinking about the situation in that way could be looking at things all wrong.
Recently, Holmes spoke about Goff when being interviewed by DetroitLions.com writer Tim Twentyman. It became clear in the interview that the team could feel better than most assume about Goff based on Holmes’ own words on the matter and the player.
As Holmes explained in the piece:
“He’s been successful. He has a lot of wins. He’s been to the playoffs,” Holmes told detroitlions.com. “I don’t know why he doesn’t have a chance to be successful. There’s nothing wrong with winning.
“The outside narrative has been like, ‘Oh, you got the guy for two years to bridge and then that’s it.’ Ok, I can name you some stop-gaps. I wouldn’t say (Goff is one).”
Goff being the guy for the Lions would be an interesting wrinkle to things considering the fact that the team brought him to the mix while also adding a pair of first-round picks and a third-round pick.
Whether or not this is truth remains to be seen the next few seasons, but it’s clear that the Lions love Goff as much as he seems to love them.
Goff Can Quiet Doubters
No matter who has discussed Goff this offseason, the simple analysis seems to boil down to his potential limitations. Whatever positives are referenced about the quarterback, they always seem to come with caveats about his past with Sean McVay, his perceived physical limitations or in this case his high cost. None of that will matter when the Lions roll the football on the field and get going on a new season, and that’s especially true if the team has success with Goff under center.
During his career, Goff has been solid, and undoubtably earned the contract he was given by his former team, no matter how astronomical it was at the time. It could be a reason for concern for the Lions, but the bet is, Goff can find a way to make things work.