Jared Goff was traded to Detroit during the 2021 offseason in what was seen as a blockbuster trade, involving Matthew Stafford and multiple picks. Goff was still relatively young when the lions traded for him at only 26. Goff was seen as a bridge quarterback to most fans, but other more optimistic fans thought Goff could be handed the keys to the franchise as he has led his own team to the Super bowl with the Rams. Goff signed one of the largest extensions in the league when he was with the rams. This contract doesn’t exactly get too hefty until next season and includes a very easy way out for the Lions after this season is over which begs the question, what do the Lions do with Jared Goff?
OPTION 1
Obviously, the first option (but certainly not the most popular) would be to keep Goff and not draft a quarterback this upcoming draft, this would mean Brad Holmes and the rest of the heads in charge believe in Goffs’ ability to lead a team and are willing to take on his 30+ million dollars a year for the next couple season. I don’t believe this option to be very likely, Goff would have to show some otherworldly talent the next couple of weeks for me to even consider this.
OPTION 2
The next option would be to keep Goff for another season or two and draft a quarterback this upcoming draft. I have come around more to this idea recently. The Lions are not trying to win anything for the foreseeable future so keeping Goff while developing a young guy could be the right decision. A lot of the great quarterbacks in this league got to take a seat and learn from a veteran in their quarterback room while they gained all the tools necessary to lead a team and I believe Goff would be a great mentor.
OPTION 3
The third and final option would be to cut Goff after this season. Goffs’ cap hit next year will be $41 million dollars but if the Lions cut him this offseason they can save $30 million dollars because there would only be a $10 million dead cap penalty for cutting him. I think this could be a great option for cap reasons but the issue with this is we would most likely be starting a rookie, the only rookie this season who I believe is a day-one starter is Bryce Young. The odds we get Bryce young are not the best right now (depending on how the Rams finish). We have seen how poorly rookies who were thrown directly into the fire have performed in recent memory, Zach Wilson, Davis Mills, and Sam Darnold… etc. I wouldn’t want this to be the case for such a young and talented team. Although it is a very real possibility.
With all these options on the plate, I do believe the Lions will move on from Goff after this season and try to trade for a veteran QB, maybe like a Jordan Love type of player. I do think that starting a rookie is also sadly a very real option. It will be interesting to see how everything unfolds.
