Jared Goff was once believed to be a bust despite being the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and earning a lucrative extension from the Rams. His move to Detroit has changed that narrative.
The 29-year-old quarterback has performed well with the Lions, and has improved every season under the tutelage of coach Dan Campbell and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. He improved his accuracy and cut down on his turnovers to become an efficient starter in one of the NFL’s most high-powered offenses.Indeed, Goff has been a rock-solid player for the Lions, and he has done it at a price tag that is looking more and more reasonable by the day as the cost of paying an NFL quarterback continues to rise.
Jared Goff contract details
Goff is in the penultimate year of a four-year, $134 million contract that he originally signed with the Rams in 2019. He was traded to the Lions just before the extension kicked in, so Detroit has covered most of the yearly costs while Los Angeles paid out a hefty sum in guarantees after initially extending him.Goff’s extension has paid him $33.5 million in average annual value (AAV). That made him the 16th-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, just behind Kirk Cousins and just ahead of Ryan Tannehill. Goff is set to have the largest cap hit of his career, $31.65 million, during the 2024 NFL season. He will be a free agent after that — barring an extension — at the age of 30.
The Lions could move on from Goff ahead of the 2024 NFL season while incurring a dead-cap charge of just $5 million — if they so desire. That said, it seems more likely that Detroit would be looking to extend Goff, who has proven to be a solid quarterback during his time under Campbell and Johnson.
