Am Leaving ” Jared Goff accept a $85 million contract to depart from Lions today..
The Detroit Lions are expected to begin negotiations with quarterback Jared Goff “with hopes of a new deal that makes sense for all parties,” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo.
Goff is due to receive a $21.7 million salary and have a $31.7 million cap hit in 2024 before he’s eligible for free agency in 2025.
He has earned himself a raise thanks to how he has performed over the last two seasons (9,013 yards, 59 touchdowns and 19 interceptions).
The 29-year-old has said he hopes to call the Motor City home beyond the 2024 campaign.
“I’ve loved every second of my time here, and would love more,” he told reporters in January. “I love Dan [Campbell], I love the coaches and all my teammates. Yeah, it would be great. But it’s not up to me.”
Settling on the right dollar figure might be tricky for the Lions, though.
Goff will presumably want a contract that puts him among the highest-earning quarterbacks in the league. The market rate for an elite signal-caller is now $50 million and above.
But the three-time Pro Bowler is only a few years removed from being a distressed asset. The initial assumption when he first got to Detroit in 2021 was that he’d probably be a stopgap until the franchise found a more suitable long-term solution.
Maybe the Lions want to hedge their bets a bit in the belief Goff’s renaissance could come to an end.
From that perspective, letting his contract run down and re-signing him next offseason might be the smart play since there’d be more evidence on which to base a judgment.
The downside of waiting around is that Goff will be in a position to command even more in 2025 if he continues to play at his current level. Throwing for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns could send his price tag closer to $60 million considering the inflationary nature of the market.