Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff taking part in offseason workouts while awaiting new contract
Jared Goff wants it to happen. The Detroit Lions do, too. And while no one seems to be in any rush to get it done, there's a good chance Goff and the Lions will hammer out a new contract sometime before the 2024 season begins.
"You never want to like say something," Goff said Tuesday on Day 2 of the Lions' formal offseason program. "There’s discussions and Brad (Holmes) has said what he’s said to you guys and I’ll say the same thing. There’s been discussions. Yeah, my agent’s on top of it, he’s doing a good job and I trust those guys."
Goff is taking part in voluntary workouts this spring while he awaits a new deal that should make him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
He has one year left on his current contract that's set to pay him $27.3 million this year, while the going rate for top quarterbacks is more than $50 million per season.
Asked how confident he is a new deal gets done, Goff said, "Yeah, you hope so. But I’m not in control of that."
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Acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in January of 2021 as part of the Matthew Stafford trade, Goff has been a key part of the Lions' resurgence the past three years. He finished second in the NFL in passing with 4,575 yards and 30 touchdowns last season and led the Lions to a 12-5 record and spot in the NFC championship game.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said signing Goff and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to new contracts this offseason was "a priority;" St. Brown is not currently in town for voluntary workouts.
Holmes said the franchise is "in alignment" on its desire to keep Goff around long-term.
And Goff reiterated Tuesday his desire to stay in Detroit.
"It’s been amazing, man," he said. "I love it here and would love to be here for a long time. It’s been really special like I mentioned playing in front of these fans and being able to provide a winning culture in the last year and a half or so. To see them experience that and be able to be a part of that has been fun but by no means are we satisfied or happy to be here or any of that. It’s about what’s next now."
The Lions will enter 2024 as the favorites to repeat in the NFC North and one of the leading contenders to win the Super Bowl.
Goff said he still is fueled by the Lions' playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers in January, when they blew a 17-point halftime lead and lost, 34-31. Goff completed 25 of 41 passes for 273 yards and one touchdown, but the offense came apart in the second half under the weight of its own mistakes.
"It seems a lot of things just kind of didn’t go our way and I hate for that to sound like an excuse because we felt like we should have won that game anyways, but the second half they played well and we didn’t and that’s kind of the bottom line," he said. "I wish I could go back and pinpoint some plays for you but there was a lot of them. There wasn’t just one. There wasn’t just one thing that went wrong, there was a handful of them and, yeah, it’s the way the ball bounced that day but gave us a ton of fire. It really did. And I know Dan’s talked about it, gave us a ton of fire and gives us something to look at and to draw on for next year."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions QB Jared Goff confident new deal coming: 'I trust those guys'
