FORT LAUDERDALE TO NEWARK —
From Craig Ginsberg (@CraigAdamG):
Craig, I think Goff suddenly looks pretty affordable. He played fine, for the most part, last year. He’s due $25.65 million next year (nonguaranteed) and $26.65 million in 2024. The contract he did with the Rams in 2019 ranks 11th in average per year ($33.5 million), but the $25 million or so he’s been making as a Lion (with the Rams having paid the bonus money) puts him right in the middle of the league between 16th and 17th.
Is that a lot for a quarterback who might not be your guy five years from now? Sure. But Goff is a good player who’s been in a Super Bowl and can give the Lions a fighting chance week to week, and he’ll buy the front office time to find a long-term answer without feeling it has to happen tomorrow.
So, yeah, I do see the Lions kicking the tires on potential franchise guys in the spring. Which veterans might suddenly become available? How high will the Lions be picking? That remains to be seen. And how the college season shakes out—with guys such as Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Alabama’s Bryce Young, Kentucky’s Will Levis and Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke all having shown promise, but needing another year to sew up their draft position—will be a part of the equation for the Lions and a few other teams, too.
Which means I’m giving this question a big, fat, boring TBD.
