The California kid continues to prove the doubters wrong. Banished from the Rams in exchange for Matthew Stafford (which, to be fair, was a fair trade). Joined a Lions team with uncertainty. After all, can you blame the doubters? No one could have predicted Jared Goff would perform at the level he is playing at right now.
Jared Goff got dumped by Hollywood, but he made a Hollywood story out of it.
— Lions Superfan Carl McJenkins (@CarlMcJenkins) May 13, 2024
Detroit is the place to revive, not die.
That’s our QB.
JA-RED GOFF 🗣️ JA-RED GOFF 🗣️
🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁 pic.twitter.com/AHnxSi4MXx
In the end, the former Golden Bear got his money. The Detroit Lions, after extending WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and OT Penei Sewell this offseason, add Goff to the list. A four-year, $212 million extension keeps the signal-caller in Detroit through the 2028 season. With $170 million in guaranteed money, it is the largest contract in team history. You can forget any talks of him heading into free agency for a while. He is going to be a Lion for a while and deserves every single penny.
Since his arrival in Detroit, he has improved statistically year after year. After just 19 touchdowns in his first year in Detroit, he threw 29 of them in 2022. 2023 was the year he really shined, throwing for 4,575 yards and 30 touchdowns all while leading Detroit into the postseason. It didn’t stop there, as he led the Lions all the way to the NFC Championship before falling to the 49ers. It wasn’t his fault they lost, as he threw for at least 270 yards in each postseason game and four touchdowns total (no interceptions).
Goff is now the second-highest-paid quarterback in the league ($53 million annual salary), behind Joe Burrow.
What About Hendon Hooker?
That’s the wild card out of all of this. Will the Lions keep the young quarterback, or trade him away where he can get a chance at playing time?
At 26 years old, he has yet to appear in a regular season game. Many thought he was the future of the Lions. But, by the time Goff’s extension is done, he will be 30 years old.
Detroit can get value for him now. One team to consider (no bias, I promise) is the New York Giants. The team met with Hooker extensively and had him on a top-30 visit in 2023. Unfortunately, he went before the Giants’ pick (Hooker was 68th overall, and New York was originally at 89 before trading up to the 73rd pick and selecting WR Jalin Hyatt, his fellow teammate at Tennessee).
New York could have let Hooker have a year to recover and would be in line to start this season if things worked out. But, Joe Schoen has a chance to fix things and work a trade with the Lions to bring the former Volunteer product to Big Blue.
Hendon Hooker time??? https://t.co/ecP8qE229V pic.twitter.com/rVQwK1FWLM
— Belt Guy (@ThisIsNotZain) May 13, 2024
Goff Not The Only Player Getting An Extension
- Buccaneers’ safety Antoine Winfield Jr. received a four-year, $84.1 million extension. The 25-year-old has a career year in 2023, racking up 122 total tackles and three interceptions.
- Randy Moss‘s son and former LSU tight end Thaddeus Moss has retired from the NFL. Just 25, he was a part of the Cincinnati Bengals for two years before getting released from camp in 2022.
It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn't matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over.
— Thaddeus Moss (@Thaddeusmoss) May 13, 2024
Thank You
#Retired pic.twitter.com/ovhBiz3GpJ
- Chiefs-Ravens are set to kick off week one the 2024 NFL season, followed by the Eagles-Packers on Friday night. Cowboys-Browns will be the first primetime late afternoon game on Sunday, which will be Tom Brady‘s first as a broadcaster.
Make sure to visit Belly Up Sports every week and follow me on Twitter/X! Also, check out me and my co-host Brian Germinaro on the Third and Ten Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts!
Featured Image: Ryan Kang/Getty Images
