Well, you can’t blame the Lions for penny pinching. You can blame them for bad hires, leading to bad roster management, leading to bad football. Leading to more bad hires. But at least at the quarterback position, you can’t blame them for being cheap.
Since 2017, the Lions have spent more money at the game’s most important position than any NFL team, per Spotrac. And they have the third fewest wins to show for it.
Starting with Matthew Stafford’s $135 million extension that kicked in for the 2017 season and continuing with Jared Goff’s $134 million deal they inherited this year from the Rams, the Lions have sunk $152 million in cash into their quarterbacks (including backups) over the last five seasons.
No. 2 on the list?
The Green Bay Packers, who have two division titles and a couple trips to the NFC Championship Game to show for the $140 million they’ve paid Aaron Rodgers the last five seasons.
No. 32 on the list?
The Baltimore Ravens, who have the third most wins in football since 2017 and are tracking toward their fourth straight playoff appearance with Lamar Jackson on his rookie contract. The 2019 MVP won’t become a free agent until 2023.
The Ravens are the gold standard in cost-efficiency at quarterback since 2017, spending just $1 million per win. The Lions have spent more than $6.5 million per win over that span.
To reiterate: a star QB on a rookie contract is the most valuable commodity in the NFL. (Actually in sports.) You won’t be surprised to learn that the Chiefs are second in QB cost-efficiency since 2017, averaging $1.4 million per win with Patrick Mahomes’ mega-extension not kicking in until next season. And the Bills, with Josh Allen, are third.
The Lions weren’t dumb to pay Stafford the big bucks. They were coming off a playoff season with bigger goals ahead and wanted to lock up their franchise quarterback before he hit free agency. It was something they felt they had to do. They erred in all the faulty investments around him, starting at the top with Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia.
We won’t rehash the Stafford debate here. Suffice to say: he wasn’t good enough to thrive in a wasteland.
Nor were the Lions dumb to pick up the tab on Goff, including $25.5 million in cash this season for one of the weakest quarterbacks in the NFL. It allowed them to land a pile of draft picks at the outset of a rebuild. Their error in this case, under GM Brad Holmes (and head coach Dan Campbell), was believing in Goff as their QB of the future and then restructuring his contract to ensure he’s on the roster through at least 2022 — at a cap hit of $31 million.
Maybe next year the Lions will have a rookie quarterback. They have two first-round picks in the upcoming draft, likely including No. 1 overall. And maybe by 2023 he’ll be ready to take the keys. That would be step one, albeit a big one. The next steps would be surrounding the franchise centerpiece with a capable cast. As the Lions have proven before, easier said than done.
Until then, they’ll keep paying a premium for wins. (Or at least for someone to throw the football.) Goff, who’s winless this year, is due another $26 million in cash next year. And his $30.5 dead cap charge ensures he’ll be here even if he's on the bench. Hey, look at the bright side: the Ravens paid Joe Flacco $44 million in cash for a mediocre season two years before drafting Jackson. For Detroit, deliverance could be (!!) just around the corner.