We saw the worst of Jared Goff in a season-opening loss at Green Bay.
We saw the best of Jared Goff in a home-opening triumph over the Bears at Ford Field.
Which facsimile is the real Jared Goff?
Whether it’s this season or not, the Lions do have enough young and elite talent to win the Super Bowl in the not-too-distant future.
Do they have the right quarterback?
It's a persistent question, which never goes away.
When Goff is at his best, which is much more often than not, he is an elite passer.
He is exceptionally accurate, particularly hitting receivers in stride. His out routes arrive in a hurry and on target. He has a good deep arm.
Goff’s resiliency and toughness is unquestioned. He commands the huddle and the field with the best of them.
But this isn’t 2005. Great, classic pocket passers like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are part of the NFL’s past.
While not every QB is a jet like Lamar Jackson or a bull-in-the-china shop such as Josh Allen, virtually all NFL signal callers have better mobility than Goff. The exceptions are Cleveland’s Joe Flacco, in his early 40s, and the Rams’ Matthew Stafford, in his late 30s.
Flacco is just holding the seat for Dillon Gabriel at this point. Stafford is actually more agile than Goff, and better able to improvise because he can pass from different arm angles, which Goff does not.
Last season, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts set a Super Bowl record for QBs with 72 yards rushing.
It’s not necessarily about designed runs, or even scrambles, though. Often it’s a step or two to just escape trouble.
There is no question, however, the best asset an NFL QB must possess is still pocket passing.
Yet, better escapability is that extra edge that is pushing teams over the top.
Attempting to win a Super Bowl deploying a QB with Goff’s modus operandi decidedly bucks the trend, but the Lions have no choice.
There is no reasonable escape from Goff’s contract, as it is currently constructed, until after the 2027 season. The dead salary cap hits are just too massive if he were to be cut or traded.
The Lions, unquestionably, will restructure Goff’s contact after the season for cap relief. His 2026 cap hit is $69 million, which is projected to be nearly 23 percent of the Lions’ allotment. The restructuring will mean kicking his first possible departure date until at least after the 2028 season.
Currently, the Lions have 52 percent of their projected 2026 salary cap space tied up in the following four players: Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Alim McNeill and Penei Sewell.
And they have yet to come to terms on long-term deals with Brian Branch, Aidan Hutchinson and Sam LaPorta, who are due. After 2026, Gibbs and Jack Campbell will need new deals.
The Lions can win a Super Bowl with Goff at QB. Certainly, they can win a conference title. Goff has already accomplished that much in his career. He has a 4-5 record in the postseason, including an underwhelming Super Bowl start with the Rams and a dreadful performance in an upset loss to Washington last season. Two of those wins, though, were the first for the Lions in more than three decades. He was clutch in those games.
Yet, it’s undeniable how the NFL has changed since Goff was the first overall pick by the Rams in 2016.
Goff is the NFL equivalent of the traditional NBA big man in a 3-point shooting era.
There is still value for the classic pocket passer, but the impact isn’t nearly what it used to be because the game has changed.
Goff's style of play and hefty contract leaves less wiggle room for the Lions to adjust their roster and offensive scheme.
The big performances will undoubtedly continue for Goff, but those moments of less-than-ideal circumstances continue to lurk.
There is no turning back at this point, and it’s good, but with it left in mind whether it’s ultimately going to be good enough to eventually take the Lions where they’ve never been before.
To the very top.