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The Detroit Lions have six more games left until the offseason is a reality, and between now and then, they could do enough winning to keep themselves in the playoff conversation.
With that in mind, discussions about Jared Goff’s future are probably better served to be had another day. Still, it’s hard to ignore how big of a topic that will become once the season eventually does end.
Furthermore, what does Goff’s contract say about what could happen to him with the Lions? Recently, ESPN insider Dan Graziano took a closer look at answering that question, as he looked at a handful of veteran quarterbacks and their complicated contract wrinkles.
In terms of Goff, he is owed a substantial amount overall from the Lions the next two seasons, but a lack of guaranteed money on his deal could mean that the Lions would find it a bit easier and palatable to move on if they so choose.
“Goff is signed through 2024 and is scheduled to make $30.65 million in 2023 and $31.65 million in 2024. But there is no more guaranteed money left on Goff’s deal after this year, so the Lions could cut him, owe him no cash and carry just a $10 million dead-money charge on their 2023 cap (or $5 million each in 2023 and 2024, if they so chose),” Graziano wrote in the piece.
As Graziano points out, though, the Lions do owe Goff a $5 million dollar roster bonus at the start of the new league year in March 2023. So if the team does want to move on, it will be in their interest to decide this quickly during the impending offseason.
Still, the lack of a penal dead money charge could make it appealing for the Lions to move on from Goff if they do decide to make that move.
Analyst Speculates on Goff’s Future
Will the Lions use a relatively friendly contract situation as an excuse to move on? Many think that could soon be the case once the offseason is underway.
Mike Sando of The Athletic ranked every quarterback situation in the league in terms of where teams should be with their signal callers, and the Lions placed in the category of “looking to upgrade” for 2023.
As Sando hinted, the Lions could look to the draft in 2023 for their upgrade at the position, and should be exploring that since it might be their last chance to snag a top quarterback as they improve.
“The Lions got their current quarterback, Jared Goff, from the Rams. They could get their next one via the Rams as well, given that Detroit holds Los Angeles’ first-round pick in 2023 (currently sixth). Goff’s contract becomes easy for the Lions to escape after this season. He has played well enough for the Lions to stay the course, but if the Lions are on the rise, the 2023 draft could be their last chance (for a while) to select a quarterback near the top,” Sando wrote.
The Lions are improving, and might improve a lot in the future. Would that prevent them a shot at a top quarterback name in years ahead? Perhaps, though they could always make trades to ensure they land a player.
Nevertheless, the team may be motivated to strike while the iron is hot at the position, and thanks to some good draft fortune, it could be very hot soon.
Lions Could Keep Goff, Develop Rookie QB
Instead of simply cutting bait, the expectation is Detroit could keep Goff around, no matter how expensive, for the next few seasons. At the same time, they could also draft a new quarterback to develop.
Arguably, there is no reason the team couldn’t have their cake and eat it too in this situation. It worked well in Kansas City for Patrick Mahomes and Alex Smith. The most important part of the equation for Detroit will be nailing the draft pick and future quarterback.
This season, the Lions are likely to have a pair of high first-round picks at their disposal. Whether they elect to use one of those picks on a quarterback remains to be seen, and there have already been many conflicting opinions about whether the team could stand to do that or not given their defense has many holes.
Goff, buoyed by his decent play most of the 2022 season within a resurgent Detroit offense, could certainly stick as the team’s starter until a youngster is ready. The Lions aren’t losing a ton of games due to Goff alone, even in spite of a few key errors he’s seen.
At the very least, the contract situation proves that there may be fewer roadblocks than their once were to the team moving on in the short term. In spite of that, they seem to be in a comfortable position with Goff right now.
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