Lions GM shares bold Jared Goff claim after Ben Johnson departure

Shortly after the top-seeded Detroit Lions suffered an upset 45-31 divisional-round playoff loss to the Washington Commanders this past Saturday, Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson officially agreed to become the next head coach of the Chicago Bears. 

Johnson emerged as a hot head-coaching candidate primarily because of his work with Jared Goff, who has become a top-tier starting quarterback with Detroit. During his end-of-season media availability, Lions general manager Brad Holmes made a bold claim regarding how the 30-year-old signal-caller will respond to Johnson's departure. 

"I think the guy's in his prime," Holmes said about Goff, ESPN's Eric Woodyard shared. "He's gotten better and better every year. And when I say prime, I think like just entering it. It's because he keeps ascending. I think like every single year we've been here, the next year, it's been 'man, he's playing at a high level.' And the levels keep improving. Again, I just have a lot of faith in [head coach] Dan [Campbell] and I know that he'll make sure that Jared's gonna be in a good position."

Some wondered back on Oct. 30, 2022, if Goff was on the verge of beginning the final couple of months of his Detroit tenure. Since then, he and the Lions have gone 35-9 in regular-season play, and he helped Detroit reach the NFC Championship Game last January. Truthfully, Goff likely would've started for the Lions in Super Bowl LVIII if not for some questionable decisions made by the previously mentioned Campbell during what became a loss to the San Francisco 49ers. 

On Thursday, Goff was named a finalist for the Associated Press 2024 NFL Most Valuable Player Award after he guided Detroit to a 15-2 regular-season record. Per Pro Football Reference, he ended Week 18 ranked second in the NFL among qualified players with a 111.8 passer rating, sixth with a 68.4 adjusted QBR, second with 4,629 passing yards and fourth with 37 passing touchdowns. Despite those numbers, Goff may finish last in MVP voting. 

Last offseason, Goff signed a four-year contract extension that included a $170M guaranteed and could be worth up to $212M. 

"I do think that we're very close," Holmes added. "Obviously, I thought we were very close this year, but nothing's gonna kinda alter what our approach has been in terms of trying to continue to improve and keep building. Obviously, I do think we're very close and I felt really good about this season but fell short but we're gonna stay committed and stay committed to the process."

As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Lions fifth among the betting favorites at +900 odds to win Super Bowl LX in February 2026.