Getty Jimmy Garoppolo playing for San Francisco in 2021.
While there’s still plenty of time left to go on the 2021 season, it’s not too early to begin thinking of 2022 for the Detroit Lions, and that’s especially true considering their record.
The Lions are on the road to nowhere at 0-8-1, and the team has seen problems this year for multiple different reasons. One of the biggest questions they may have for the offseason revolves around what will happen at quarterback. Jared Goff has been the starter, but has struggled. Behind him, the Lions don’t have multiple players that inspire confidence.
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For this reason, the Lions are a team that does figure to play a role in the quarterback carousel at some point in the 2022 offseason. Recently, writer Jeff Howe of The Athletic broke down what figures to be a wild market for the position in coming months, and he included the Lions in a list of teams in “need” at the position that could look for an addition.
As Howe wrote, he believes the Lions should be in the mix for a quarterback in the draft and perhaps even a second-tier veteran starter to push Goff on the roster. He listed them as one of the 11 teams in need this coming offseason at the position.
What the Lions decide to do will be a major question. They have said all the right things about Goff, and he has not operated with much help in 2021. In spite of that, it might be clear to the decision makers that the team needs to move on and get a younger player into the mix. Without a deep draft class at quarterback, though, that will create a tricky situation for Detroit.
At the very least, though, the team could be expected to consider the position strongly this offseason.
Lions Have Quarterback Question for 2022
Detroit was rumored to perhaps be in the market for a quarterback after dealing Matthew Stafford, but they added Jared Goff to the mix and also signed Tim Boyle this past offseason in free agency. The team also released Chase Daniel, but maintained David Blough as the third quarterback on the roster. As a result, they rolled into the year with this group and did not add anyone else to the mix. It’s a show of just how committed the Lions are to Goff that they didn’t make an addition and bypassed this past year’s class. That might not happen again.
The Lions are essentially giving Goff an audition for the future in the 2021 season, and thus far, the results have been rocky with just 8 touchdowns to 6 interceptions for the quarterback. In spite of this, general manager Brad Holmes knows Goff and wants to see what he can do with the Lions, and might look to add more weapons for him as well. With this in mind, it’s more than possible that Goff sticks around for more than a few seasons. He is 26, and has been one of the more successful young quarterbacks in the league recently with a 6-5 playoff record, a Super Bowl appearance and multiple big wins on the resume. Still, his presence alone isn’t going to guarantee the team ignores quarterback in the draft this year.
Detroit’s Decision Comes Down to Draft or Free Agency
With all this in mind, what will the Lions do? They will have to weigh their options in a big way. Short of someone blasting up draft boards, it doesn’t seem as if there is a quarterback that the team will want to take with the top selection. From there, the Lions will have to decide if they want to roll the dice on a middle-round option or grab a player with their second-round pick. Deciding who fits this mold, whether a player like Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder, Matt Corral or someone else will be the challenge for the Detroit front office.
Some veteran free agents that could be on the market according to Howe in the piece? Jimmy Garoppolo, Ben Roethlisberger, Tua Tagovailoa and Matt Ryan. Whether or not the Lions look to add one of these players, someone else or nobody remains to be seen. They will be a team to remember within this market, though.
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Lions Cited as Potential Early Quarterback Buyers for 2022 Offseason