Lions GM backs Jared Goff as starting quarterback

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has backed Jared Goff as the club's starting quarterback heading into the offseason. 

"I think it's a lot easier to get worse at quarterback than to get better in this league," Holmes said during Tuesday's end-of-season news conference, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. "So, I think what Jared has done this year, he captained the ship of a top-three offense, and he was top-10 statistically in most of the passing categories." 

Holmes added he thinks Goff "has proven to everybody that he is the starting quarterback for us." 

Holmes spoke after Goff guided the Lions to an impressive 20-16 victory at the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night that improved Detroit to 9-8 and prevented the Packers from qualifying for the playoffs. 

The Lions were eliminated from the postseason tournament earlier that day when the Seattle Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams in overtime but nevertheless fought to play the spoiler role at Lambeau Field. 

According to ESPN, Goff ended the campaign seventh among qualified quarterbacks with a 99.3 passer rating, fifth with a 61.2 total QBR, sixth with 4,438 passing yards, and tied for fifth with 29 passing touchdowns. 

He's signed through the 2024 season via a deal that includes just $10M in dead money on the salary cap if he's released following Super Bowl LVII in February. 

"It feels great because I've been on the flip side of that to be in a place where you are appreciated," Goff said Tuesday about his Detroit tenure that began when the Rams officially traded him in March 2021. "It feels good. And again, these people here, it's just a special place and I'm proud to be a part of it."

Nick Shook of the NFL's website pointed out the Lions could approach Goff about renegotiating his contract to decrease the deal's salary-cap numbers of approximately $30M for each of the next two seasons.