When the Los Angeles Rams traded away Jared Goff and two first-round picks to the Detroit Lions to acquire Matt Stafford, it seemed like the die had been cast on Goff’s long-term future.
Sent to the Lions, who were embracing a full-on rebuild, Goff felt like a classic example of an often inconsistent quarterback sent in to bridge the gap between one franchise quarterback and another. However, Goff has been performing well this season and has fully played himself into potential long-term plans with the Lions.
It’s been a long time since Jared Goff took the Rams to the Super Bowl. Five seasons to be exact. Much has changed since then, but Goff is still an NFL quarterback and is probably performing as close to his 2018 self as he ever has.
In a sense, the 28-year-old former first overall pick has jumped into a time machine, brought back his old self, and stepped foot onto Ford Field to help bring excitement to a Lions team that has been stuck in limbo for the longest time.
Truthfully, much like the start of the 2021 season, things didn’t start so hot for Goff and the Lions in 2022. The stars of Hard Knocks had lofty expectations in their second season under Dan Campbell but after starting the season 1-1, they dropped their next five games in a row and left the Lions in a precarious scenario.
The defense had shown no improvement and, through 8 weeks, was bordering on historically bad, allowing 0.194 EPA per play in a turnstile effort of 32.4 points per game, a league-high by a wide margin.
Dan Campbell and the Lions were in jeopardy. Now 1-6, the pressure was mounting on Campbell, and though it was clear that the Lions had a long-time plan, they had to start winning games. Fortunately, they began to do just that.
The Lions proceeded to rattle off six wins in their next seven games, leaving them 7-7 and with a considerable chance of making the postseason. During that span, the defense has been 13th in EPA per play, allowing under 20 points in four games. The upturn in defensive effort and success has been prevalent since moving on from defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant, but so much of that success has come up front.
While the team would ultimately have a bit of a stinker against the Panthers, dropping the contest 37-23 in a game where Carolina ran, quite literally, all over them, they’re still very much in the playoff mix.
What has really stuck out during the Lions’ winning run is how impressive Jared Goff has been. Statistically speaking, Goff has been decent since stepping into the building in 2021. His first season was slow-burning, he never really meshed well with former offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, but excelled when Ben Johnson took over calling the plays.
The Lions had options to take a quarterback in 2021, but a weaker QB class, along with needs elsewhere saw them pass on the opportunity and ride with Goff under center for another year – looking to build on the last season success. Having another year of a dominant, and hopefully healthy, offensive line and a growing set of weapons would be a big help.
Goff was always viewed as a talented passer with ample arm talent, but limited mobility and the inability to flip the switch and play out of structure saw Sean McVay lose patience with the former first overall pick. It didn’t help that the Rams never had the best protection for Goff, but McVay’s quarterback-friendly, top-tier scheme negated some of that concern.
What we’ve seen in Detroit rings similarly true to Goff’s scouting report. He can occasionally make wow throws, but he struggles to function under pressure. Overall, Goff has been solid for Detroit.
The nightmare vs. Carolina notwithstanding, in 14 games he’s completed 65 percent of his passes for 3604 yards and 23 touchdowns against 7 interceptions. It’s the recent run of the Lions that has made Goff stand out, though. Since Week 9, Goff is 1st in the NFL in EPA per play and is completing 66 percent of his passes for 1700 yards, throwing 11 touchdowns and only 1 interception in the process.
He’s built a strong connection with Amon-Ra St. Brown, who in turn is developing into an All-Pro calibre player, and looks completely comfortable in Johnson’s system.
That Lions offensive line has helped as well. Penei Sewell is already one of the best tackles in the NFL and is only 22, Frank Ragnow is excellent at center, and the rest of the line, Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson, and Evan Brown are all good players in their own regard.
When they’re all healthy, they make Goff’s life much easier. Right now, Goff is in a position to succeed and it’s showing. He’s playing some of the best football of his career.
And that makes things interesting for the Lions. On the surface, Goff seemed like a short-term answer while the Lions looked ahead to the long-term future. But things change, the Lions are setting themselves up for long-term success and Goff’s performances are making it difficult for the club to view that future through a lens where he’s not in it.
Flexibility is a benefit the Lions have, though. They own two first round picks in 2023 (their own and the Rams via the Stafford trade) and there’s every chance that one of those picks will be a top-10 pick. A quarterback could be on the table and if, for example, C.J. Stroud is available when the Lions are on the clock then they could be in a bind. But, truthfully, the Lions have a good thing going.
They’ve shown real improvement over the last couple of months. They could even make the playoffs in 2022. But if they don’t, their season isn’t a failure. They’re in this position for a variety of reasons, and despite being written off, Goff is one of those reasons. Dan Campbell loves him, the team loves him, and general manager Brad Holmes has a previous relationship with him.
Detroit does have an out in Goff’s contract at the end of the 2022 season, but it’s hard to see them exercising that out regardless of what they do at the quarterback position. For now, though, I believe that Goff has a long-term future with the Lions.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.