By Jeff Howe, Colton Pouncy and Amos Morale
The Detroit Lions and quarterback Jared Goff have agreed to a four-year contract extension worth up to $212 million with $170 million guaranteed, per a league source.
The Lions had publicly expressed interest in extending Goff, with coach Dan Campbell calling it a priority at the owners’ meetings in March and general manager Brad Holmes saying last week, Goff has “earned” it.
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Last season, Goff helped the Lions win a division title for the first time in 30 years and two playoff games in one of the best seasons of his career.
He finished second in the NFL in passing yards (4,575) and fourth in touchdown passes (30).
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BuySince joining the Lions as part of the trade that sent quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, Goff has thrown for the fourth-most yards (12,258) and seventh-most touchdowns (78) of any quarterback in the NFL over that stretch.
The Lions have now locked up another key piece of their offense with Goff’s extension. Detroit already agreed to extensions for receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and tackle Penei Sewell.
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What this means for the Lions
In many ways, Goff has taken on the identity of the city he plays for. When the Rams shipped him to Detroit in exchange for Stafford, the narrative was Goff was cast aside and left for dead with a rebuilding, losing franchise. But as Goff so often tells it, he was never going to let that happen. After a rough transition year in 2021, both Goff and the Lions’ new leadership worked to right the ship.
More talent was added to a roster that didn’t have much. There was a change in offensive playcalling, with Ben Johnson stepping in for Anthony Lynn. The offensive line got healthy, young players began to emerge and the Lions turned their losing ways around, with Goff at the forefront. Since that 2021 season, he’s thrown for nearly 9,000 yards and 60 touchdowns during the regular season, while leading the Lions to the kind of playoff success unseen in a generation. He’s been as impactful as any player during this stretch — both on and off the field.
The Lions have built a roster that supports Goff’s strengths. They’ve given him an elite offensive line, and a unit that gives him the necessary time to go through his progressions. They’ve found a No. 1 receiver for him in St. Brown, and inked him to four-year deal. They’ve given him weapons like TE Sam LaPorta, a 2023 second-team All-Pro, and have high hopes for third-year receiver Jameson Williams. They’ve surrounded him with arguably the best running back duo in the NFL in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. And his offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, re-worked Detroit’s playbook and incorporated Goff into those discussions to get the most out of him. At just 29, Goff is young enough to continue playing at a high level over the length of his deal should Detroit’s core remain in place, and he continues to get better with age. After bouncing back from a painful L.A. exit and helping this franchise win its first playoff game in 32 years, Goff earned the right to be the answer in Detroit, and this contract proves that. They have a team built to win now with him leading the way. No reason to change that now. — Colton Pouncy, Lions staff writer
Required reading
(Photo: Todd Rosenberg / Getty Images)