ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Before exiting Lambeau Field on Sunday night, quarterback Jared Goff took a victory lap around the stadium to slap hands with Detroit Lions fans who were still hanging around to celebrate.
After leading the Detroit (9-8) to its first winning season since 2017, which included a 20-16 win over the Packers on the road in the finale, Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he feels Goff has proved to be the franchise’s guy at the position moving forward.
“I think it’s a lot easier to get worse at quarterback than to get better in this league,” Holmes said during his end-of-season news conference Tuesday. “So, I think what Jared has done this year, he captained the ship of a top-3 offense, and he was top-10 statistically in most of the passing categories.
“And again, you know how we approach the draft,” he added. “We’re never gonna turn down a good football player, so if it’s a football player we love, we’re gonna make sure every stone is turned. But I do think that Jared has proven to everybody that he is the starting quarterback for us.”
After returning to Detroit on Monday, Goff joined his teammates as they cleaned out their lockers and reiterated, “I’ve loved my time here.” He said he hasn’t been approached by the front office about his future in Detroit, but added, “We’ll see.”
“It feels great because I’ve been on the flip side of that to be in a place where you are appreciated,” Goff said. “It feels good. and again, these people here, it’s just a special place and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Goff is currently signed through 2024, but the Lions will incur $10 million of dead money on their cap if they release him after this season, meaning they could do so without much financial consequence if they wanted to go in another direction.
However, Holmes said the team never viewed Goff as a “bridge” quarterback. While on the Los Angeles Rams staff, Holmes was integral in drafting Goff as the first overall pick in 2016 and stood by him even through the low moments.
“I don’t really know what the decision is,” Holmes said. “I was always confident in him because I’ve been with him from the get-go from since he was drafted, back when I was with LA. I just kind of know how resilient and how mentally tough he is. I think a lot of it was me knowing all the success he had in LA. I think that was kind of forgotten about a little bit when he got here, and I think he was put in a very tough situation.”
Although they fell short on the final day after a late postseason push, the standard in Detroit is now set to reach the playoffs, according to Holmes. That hasn’t happened since 2016.
Detroit currently holds the sixth pick (from the Rams) and the 18th pick in the upcoming draft, where plenty of quarterback options are expected to be available.
With Goff as the starter, the Lions climbed out of a 1-6 hole to win eight of their last 10 games this season.
Goff also went nine straight games without an interception and posted the fifth-longest streak in NFL history with 324 consecutive passes without a pick. In just his second year in Detroit, he set franchise marks for the lowest interception rate (1.2 percent) and the highest touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.14), which prompted head coach Dan Campbell to tab him as “our quarterback” after the Packers win.
“He’s played great. He’s really a perfect fit for what we do and what we ask,” Campbell said at Green Bay on Sunday night. “I think the true sign of a pro is somebody who can take the coaching. He can look at himself in the mirror, he knows where he needs to improve, he listens to what recommendations you have to get better, and he goes at it now. He doesn’t shy from it; he doesn’t get sensitive. He just wants to be good. That’s our quarterback.”
Detroit Lions GM backs Jared Goff — He proved he’s our starting QB
