The Detroit Lions are in offseason planning mode, which means thinking about potential ways to reshape the roster in 2022, and a major way to get that done is in the form of trades.
Brad Holmes didn’t make many last offseason, but the ones he did strike were very impactful. Could there be more of those lurking on the horizon for the Lions this year? It’s possible in at least one case according to an ESPN analyst.
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After the retirement of Tom Brady, ESPN insider Bill Barnwell took a look at some of the best ways for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to replace Brady this offseason. Of course, there were a smattering of ideas that revolved around players currently on the roster in the piece, and also a few in free agency. Where the intrigue started was with regards to the potential trade market.
In Barnwell’s piece, he lists Detroit quarterback Jared Goff as a potential trade replacement for Brady, and admits that Goff is a reclamation project at this point in his career that can produce numbers with the right help. Barnwell seems to think that Goff could be available and the best option for the team at what he calls the “right price.”
The Buccaneers will have to make a decision on what they will do without Brady, so it could be another busy year on the quarterback carousel for the team. Barnwell seems to think the Lions could move on from Goff quickly this offseason if an offer is made.
Goff Enjoyed Solid 2021 Finish With Lions
Assuming the Lions would pull the plug on Goff now is a generous assumption. Detroit seems to have a quarterback they can seemingly count on for the near future in Goff under center. In spite of all the early struggles and injury trouble late in the year, Goff found a way to finish the 2021 season strong on the field. Since Thanksgiving, Goff was on relative fire as statistics go at quarterback. He threw 11 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions while going off for 1,136 passing yards. Goff has also claimed elusive awards for a Lions quarterback such as NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors as well as FedEx Air Player of the Week award.
Perhaps the game that showed Lions fans the most was his impressive 3 touchdown performance against the Arizona Cardinals:
All of this has cemented Goff’s future with the team. The Lions could well draft another quarterback, but if they do, Goff is still likely to stick around for the future to help the team continue to build in the best way possible.
Why Trading Goff Seems Unlikely for Lions
Over the last few weeks of the season, the Detroit offense seemed to do much better with Goff in tow. Last offseason, he came to Detroit in a trade with Los Angeles which involved Matthew Stafford as well as draft picks. This past year was tougher for Goff than it was Stafford, but that was to be expected given the state of the Detroit rebuild. The Lions also didn’t have much help for Goff in terms of wide receivers, and dealt with injury during much of the 2021 season.
As a result, it doesn’t seem fair to say the Lions will simply move on from Goff at this point in time. If the team drafts a new quarterback in the next few years, they’d probably prefer having a veteran like Goff around to show him the ropes effectively for the future. Add it all up and it seems like the Lions would be much happier seeing Goff stick around than get traded.
It would likely take a massive offer to pry Goff out of Detroit at this point in time. Short of that, this scenario seems farfetched.
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Analyst: Jared Goff Trade ‘Best Option’ for Tom Brady Replacement