Two years ago, Jared Goff ranked No. 30 in Chris Simms' annual countdown of the top 40 quarterbacks in the NFL. Last year, he ranked No. 17. This year? No. 10.
"We gotta give Jared Goff his props, man," said Simms, who spent eight years as an NFL quarterback before transitioning into broadcasting. "Jared Goff has made one of the greatest turnarounds I’ve ever seen in NFL history. It’s rare when you go from 'system guy, I need to be massaged, I need the scheme to help me,' to, 'I’ve fixed that issue and now I’m aggressive and throw the ball all over and the offense is scary because I’m scary. I make big throws that change the game.'
"You don’t see that happen in football a lot. I give him a lot of credit for battling through a tough time in his career and making a big transition in his play."
After struggling in his first season with the Lions following his trade from the Rams, Goff has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL for two years running. He's second to only Patrick Mahomes over that time in completions and yards, third in touchdowns and fifth in passer rating at 98.6.
"He's become incredible at seeing the field," said Simms. "In a clean pocket there is almost no one better than Jared Goff."
With Goff operating behind an elite O-line and Ben Johnson calling the plays, the Lions have had a top-five offense each of the past two seasons. They were the No. 2 passing offense last season. Simms gives Goff high marks for how he "quarterbacks an offense that’s maybe the most aggressive passing offense in the NFL, and he stands in there in the pocket and he can pull the trigger with the best of them."
"He's big, he has a strong arm, stronger than it gets credit for. It’s not pretty, it’s one of the uglier (throwing) motions in the top 20, not always a perfect spiral, doesn’t always spin, but damn it hits the people between the numbers, a lot. Or right underneath their chin, a lot. Style points, sexiness, screw all that. The results are the results. The damn guy is good."
Goff is obviously limited when it comes to escaping pressure, and always will be. But on the topic of throwing under pressure, Simms said that Goff is "one of the best at not blinking when he’s about to get hit. ... When you watch Jared Goff, pocket collapsing, 'I’m about to hit Amon-Ra St. Brown on a 20-yard in-cut and I am going to get drilled in the chest,' he is as good as there is in football." "
"You go back and watch, for what he’s asked to do, there’s a lot of games where there’s not many bad decisions at all," said Simms. "It’s rare to be playing that aggressive, push the ball down the field, go, go, go, we want to attack, yet, don’t turn it over, be careful with the ball and put it in good spots. He’s found that fine line of making both happen."
Goff signed a four-year, $212 million extension with the Lions this offseason, including a record-setting $170 million guaranteed. He's become a face of the franchise and one of the most popular athletes in Detroit after leading the Lions to their first division title in 30 years and nearly to their first ever Super Bowl last season.
"I respect him because he’s not a rah-rah guy, he has no ego," said Simms. "It’s a workmanlike attitude that has endeared him to his teammates and Detroit. He’s got the city and the team believing in him, and with the really damn good quarterbacks, you gotta have that."