Lions GM and head coach talk future of QB Jared Goff

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes revealed little Friday about contract talks he's had with representatives for quarterback Jared Goff this offseason. 

Per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Holmes told reporters he's "kept open dialogue" and had "good dialogue" with Goff's camp. Holmes declined to say if the two sides will come to an agreement before the regular-season opener at the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs next Thursday night. 

Goff is only signed through the 2024 campaign and could become more expensive if he produces numbers similar to those he posted last season. According to ESPN stats, the 28-year-old ended the 2022 regular season ranked fifth among qualified players with a 63.3 adjusted QBR, seventh with a 99.3 passer rating, tied for fifth with 29 passing touchdowns and sixth with 4,438 yards through the air. He started all 17 games, helped the club go 8-2 after Halloween and is a big reason Detroit entered Friday evening as the betting favorite to claim the NFC North title this season. 

Holmes said shortly after this year's draft that Detroit's front office and Goff's camp "had dialogue" regarding an extension and were "in a good place" at that time. Head coach Dan Campbell then suggested in August he "would love" for Goff to be his long-term starter and Campbell again touched upon the subject ahead of the Labor Day weekend. 

"He’s very much a piece of the puzzle here," Campbell said of his QB1. "He’s not – it’s not the end-all, be-all. We don’t need you to be a Hall of Fame quarterback out there. We just need you to run the offense, be efficient, make the throws that are there, be accurate – because that’s what he does well. Get us into the right play, that’s all you’ve got to do. And so with that, 'Hey, cut it loose.'" 

Holmes insisted on Friday that the Lions did not actively pursue quarterback Trey Lance before the San Francisco 49ers traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys late last month. Meanwhile, Lions rookie signal-caller Hendon Hooker is expected to take a redshirt season as he recovers from the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee he suffered this past November. 

That leaves Goff as the team's best option at the sport's most important position for this fall and until further notice.