The Lions have had preliminary talks about extending quarterback Jared Goff.
"We've had (internal) dialogue there," GM Brad Holmes said Tuesday on the Stoney & Jansen Show. "We’ve had dialogue with his agent and we're in a good place right now."
Last month, Goff said that he was "open to" an extension with the Lions on the heels of arguably the best season of his career but that talks had yet to begin.
"It hasn't been brought to my attention, but yeah, of course open to anything. Not up to me," he said. "I'm a player, I don't have to make those decisions. And if I did, I would have made that decision a long time ago: give me and all my friends all the money in the world. But I just get to play, and if that comes about, that'd be great."
Goff, 28, is signed through 2024 with cap hits of about $31 million each of the next two seasons. That's an increasing bargain for the Lions based on how he played last season: seventh in the NFL in passer rating, sandwiched between Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, and first in touchdown-to-interception ratio. By 2024, Goff's cap hit will rank 11th among quarterbacks as salaries at the position continue to soar.
Holmes and the Lions believe in Goff as their long-term quarterback. His price tag will only increase if he continues to play well, so they might prefer to pay him now instead of kicking a more expensive deal down the road. And for Goff, it's an opportunity to cash in while his stock with the Lions is high. He can command something in the neighborhood of $40 million per year on a new deal.
Daniel Jones just signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Giants after a season in which he threw 15 touchdowns and had a passer rating of 92.5. Jones is also being paid for his running ability, but Goff is coming off a season in which he threw 29 touchdowns and had a passer rating of 99.3. And he's been a central figure in the Lions' turnaround under Holmes and Dan Campbell.
Not long ago, Goff had one of the biggest quarterback contracts in the NFL. The four-year, $134 million deal he signed with the Rams in 2019 came with the most guaranteed money of all time in a QB extension. That same deal now ranks 10th among quarterbacks in guaranteed money and outside the top 15 players overall in total value.
"That's how the league goes," Goff said. "A guy gets paid, and then 10 more guys get paid, and you're toward the bottom. Hopefully (you sign again), and things (go up again). Hopefully I can play for a long time in this league, win games, win championships, and the money and the contract all comes with that."
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