Detroit Lions contract with Jared Goff oddly ripped by NFL expert

The Detroit Lions are coming off a 12-5 season, their best since 1991, and made a slew of offseason moves to try to bolster the roster.

But ESPN analytics writer Seth Walder graded the Lions' offseason the sixth lowest out of all 32 NFL teams with a "C." His main and perhaps only gripe: Extending Jared Goff's contract.

"The most important transaction the Lions made was the four-year, $212 million extension they handed to Goff," Walder wrote. "It's not a move I can endorse at that price. And it has the potential to hamper the organization for years. Goff is a divisive talent, but I think most would agree he's not a top-10 QB and that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson deserves a fair share of credit for Detroit's offensive success. If Johnson leaves for a head-coaching job in the near future, how effective would Goff be? It's a fair question."

Yes it may be a fair question, but without a solidified starting quarterback like Goff, would the Lions have had their best season in three decades? Let's dig into what Walder had to say about Goff, look at the Lions' moves he liked and see how other top competitors fared in his grades.

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The quarterback has historically been one of the most important positions in the NFL, with the price tag increasing each year for one that can just give teams a shot in the playoffs. Goff was able to get the Lions to their second-ever NFC Championship game in the Super Bowl era.

Instead of paying Goff $170 million guaranteed, Walder oddly suggested dragging out Goff with the franchise tag.

"Had the Lions let Goff play out his 2024 deal (roughly $27 million in cash) and then given him the nonexclusive franchise tag in 2025 and again in 2026 and again in 2027, that would be roughly 1 year/$27 million or 2/$69M or 3/$120M or 4/$193M," Walder wrote.

The Lions' window of opportunity is right now, coming off a great season where they were a few plays away from the Super Bowl. Why would you drag out your starting quarterback to potentially mess up what you have? Although the price tag is hefty especially compared to quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson, who are better and are making more than Goff. He's only 29 years old, too.

Those quarterbacks received extensions after having phenomenal seasons, and Goff put on a show last season in coordinator Ben Johnson's offense. He had the second-most passing yards in the NFL with 4,575, and was fourth in passing touchdowns with 30.

To keep a quality starting quarterback in this league, you have to pay, and when your starting quarterback helps the team to two wins in the playoffs, you have to pay big. Especially if you are the Lions.

Lions other offseason moves

Walder liked many of the Lions' other offseason moves.

"As far as good news, the Lions were able to secure crucial value deals for (Graham) Glasgow and (Kevin) Zeitler in what was a very expensive guard market." Walder wrote, "They brought in D.J. Reader at defensive tackle and signed Marcus Davenport on a worthwhile one-year flier to fill a need at edge opposite Aidan Hutchinson. The team spent its first two draft picks filling out its major need at corner, though they sacrificed value to trade up for Terrion Arnold."

He didn't mind the big extensions for Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown because they "are deserving of high-end deals."

Signing back key players and adding good players to an already NFC Championship game squad puts the Lions in a great position to go head-to-head with their competitors, who Walder ranked higher than the Lions.

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Competitors did better than Lions

The Philadelphia Eagles offseason earned an "A" grade, the best of any NFL team, with Walder having the "Move I disliked" being the signing of Saquon Barkley.

"I wouldn't have paid Barkley real money like they did ($26 million fully guaranteed), but he should be an upgrade at running back, adding to the team's plethora of skill position riches along with (A.J.) Brown, (DeVonta) Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert."

The Super Bowl runner-up San Francisco 49ers received a "B," placing 13th on the list.

"Perhaps the most notable move of the 49ers' offseason is one they didn't make — at least not yet: trading (Brandon) Aiyuk or fellow receiver Deboo Samuel," Walder wrote. "Aiyuk is worth keeping and paying, as he was the top overall receiver in ESPN's receiver tracking metrics last season and is just 26 years old."

How the NFC North graded out

In the Lions' division, the Chicago Bears received the best offseason ranking with a "B+," and Walder ranked the Bears' "biggest move" the drafting of quarterback Caleb Williams.

The Green Bay Packers received the second best offseason grade in the NFC North with a "B-." Walder disliked signing running back Josh Jacobs for $12.5 million guaranteed.

The Minnesota Vikings received the worst offseason grade in the NFC North with a "C-" and the fourth worst grade on the list. Their big move was drafting Michigan's J.J. McCarthy. "The Vikings set a new course. They opted to let quarterback Kirk Cousins walk — a reasonable choice given his age and Achilles injury and thrust themselves into the open waters of the quarterback market." Walder wrote.

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