LIONS SIGN QB JARED GOFF TO MASSIVE FOUR-YEAR, $212 MILLION EXTENSION
The Detroit Lions have signed former Los Angeles Rams’ no.1 overall pick, Jared Goff to a significant new contract extension, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Monday.
The new contract is a four-year, $212 million deal that includes up to $170 million in guaranteed money and brings Goff’s salary on an annual basis to a staggering $53 million. The new deal not only makes the 29-year-old the highest-paid player in Lions franchise history but also the second-highest paid player in the NFL. Only Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow ($55 million) earns more.
Goff has now surpassed Chargers’ QB Justin Herbert ($52.5 million), Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson ($52 million), and Eagles’ Jalen Hurts ($51 million). The Novato, California native is now tied down to Detroit through 2027 with an option for the 2028 season.
The new deal rewards Goff after a stellar year in which he guided the Lions to the franchise’s first ever NFC North title and their first Conference Championship Game since 1991. The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback was entering the final year of his current contract, but now gets a significant payday after throwing for 4,575 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions in the regular season.
“He [Goff] has earned an extension,” said Lions General Manager Brad Holmes on Detroit radio show, 97.1 The Ticket last week. “It [an extension] is important. It’s a high priority for us, both sides are working really, really hard. These things just take time.”
Goff was traded to the Detroit Lions ahead of the 2021 season in a deal that has turned out to be a win-win for both franchises. The trade involved sending long-term Lions quarterback and former first overall pick Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles along with two first-round picks (2022 & 2023) and a 2021 third-round pick.
Those three picks have since turned into six players including WR Jameson Williams, RB Jahmyr Gibbs and TE Sam Laporta, as the Lions did well to maximize the quality of players by striking trades in the draft. The Rams, on the other hand, went on to win the Super Bowl in Stafford’s first year in Los Angeles.
Goff has gone on to blossom in Detroit and has quietly been one of the league’s better quarterbacks over the past two years. During that time, the 6-foot-4, 217-pound quarterback has thrown for 9,013 yards which ranks 2nd in the NFL, has the second-best TD/INT ratio (3.1) and has thrown the third-most passing touchdowns (59). He also boasts of an impressive 38% first-down pct, which ranks 4th in the league and has helped the Lions to 21 wins over that period, a franchise record for victories for a two-year span.
Goff’s extension is the latest big-money contract handed out by Detroit this offseason following significant deals for wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and right tackle Penei Sewell. The Lions signed St. Brown to a four-year, $120 million contract last month, only days after they penned Sewell to a four-year, 112 million deal.
Lions General Manager Brad Holmes said last week that in a perfect world, they would have had all three extensions done, and has now done so in just under a week. “In a perfect world, we would have had all three of them done, bang, bang, bang. But these things just kind of take a while, especially with the quarterback market, but I do have faith that it’s going to get done.”
Detroit had a successful draft last month, and with the extensions of their key players this offseason, the Lions believe they have a team that can contend for a Super Bowl right now. Goff was asked about the expectations surrounding the team considering the success they had last year.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” said the former California Golden Bear last month. “The expectations are high, but internally, our standards are raising, and our expectations are raising, and we’ve got goals and things we want to do.”
Asked about a contract update in April, Goff said: “I’ve been doing it for nine years now and I’m kind of used to it. I obviously appreciate my teammates support, but it [playing here] has been easy. Just focus on what matters and trying to get better, and trying to help our team win games, advance further than we did last year and hopefully be the last team standing at the end. That’s all I’m thinking about.”
With Goff locked down for the next five years, other quarterbacks that are next in line for new contract extensions this offseason include Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, Packers’ Jordan Love, and Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
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