Ben Johnson is staying in Detroit for at least another year. And quarterback Jared Goff would like to stick around for a while.
Goff, who will enter a contract season in 2024, said Monday after he and the Lions fell one win shy of the Super Bowl that "it would be great" to sign an extension with the team this offseason -- while noting that it's not entirely his decision.
"In regards to my future, it's not up to me. I love this place and we'll see what happens as time goes on here, but yeah, I love this place and love Dan (Campbell), love all the coaches, love all my teammates. It’s not out of my hands, in some ways. It’s up to my representatives and obviously the people upstairs," said Goff.
After being ditched three years ago by Sean McVay and the Rams, Goff has resurrected his career in Detroit, with Johnson's support. And the Lions offensive coordinator, one of the hottest head coaching candidates in the NFL, informed interested teams Tuesday that he's staying in Detroit to take another crack at winning the Super Bowl with Campbell.
Over the last two seasons in Johnson's offense, Goff is second in the NFL to Patrick Mahomes in passing yards (9,013), third to Mahomes and Josh Allen in touchdowns (59) and fourth to Mahomes, Allen and Jalen Hurts in wins (21). He has a passer rating of 98.6 over that stretch, fifth best in the NFL between Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. And now he's due a raise.
Goff's current deal runs through next season, with an average annual salary of $33.5 million and a cap hit of $31.7 million in 2024. But this is the offseason for an extension. Given the market for quarterbacks and the rising salary cap, he can command a contract worth upwards of $50 million per year. And his price over the last month likely only went up: Goff threw four touchdowns, no picks and had a passer rating of 103.3 in the playoffs.
He was also fully embraced by the city of Detroit, with chants of Ja-red Goff! rumbling from Ford Field in the Lions' long-awaited playoff win over the Rams and echoing across Michigan -- and eventually all the way to California, where the Lions lost a 34-31 heartbreaker to the 49ers in the NFC title game.
"The last three weeks, and it's really been longer than that, but since the playoffs started and we were able to win that game at home and to see the fans’ response, not only for me but for our whole team, has been so special," Goff said. "It's something I'll never forget. Obviously the season didn't end how we had hoped, but in particular those two home games in the playoffs were as special and electric of an environment as you can imagine, and it was a lot of fun."
Asked how important it is to him to be rewarded for his play in the form of a top-market deal, Goff, who turns 30 next season, said, "How important is it? I don't know. It's just how the league goes."
"If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t, but I’ve loved every second of my time here and would love more," he said. "And I’ll echo what I just said, I love Dan, I love the coaches here, I love the players here and my teammates. Yeah, it would be great (to get an extension), but it's not up to me."
It is up to Goff, in some ways, to decide what he's worth. If Brad Holmes and the Lions come up with a similar number -- and they almost certainly will -- it won't be long before Goff is putting pen to paper on a new deal in Detroit.