Will Lions look for potential Jared Goff replacement in 2026 NFL Draft?

History shows that teams can never have too much quarterback talent and that it's often a good idea for a club to develop a younger signal-caller just in case the first-choice option at the position goes down. 

That said, it sounds like the Detroit Lions won't be in a rush to start planning for life after QB1 Jared Goff.

Why spending a high-value pick on a quarterback doesn't make financial sense for Lions

For his mailbag published on Wednesday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated was asked if the Lions could possibly spend a second-round draft pick on an advertised developmental quarterback in April. Breer alluded to the fact that the Lions currently possess only two picks among the top 117 choices of the player-selection process. 

"Goff has a market quarterback deal," Breer wrote, "and (tackle) Penei Sewell, (wide receiver) Amon-Ra St. Brown, (receiver) Jameson Williams, (pass-rusher) Aidan Hutchinson, (defensive tackle) Alim McNeill and (safety) Kerby Joseph are already on big second deals, and 2023 draftees (running back) Jahmyr Gibbs, (tight end) Sam LaPorta, (safety) Brian Branch and (linebacker) Jack Campbell are now eligible for new contracts. And the champagne problem is that the looming bottleneck of contracts means having to find cheap talent through the draft to fill in around your core."

Goff received a four-year extension that included $170M guaranteed and could be worth up to $212M in the spring of 2024. He later became a 2024 MVP finalist, and he showed no signs of slowing down last season despite the fact that the Lions went 9-8 en route to missing the playoffs. 

Pro Football Reference stats show that Goff ended this past regular season ranked second in the NFL with 4,564 passing yards, second with 34 passing touchdowns and third with a 105.5 passer rating. He will turn just 32 years old this coming October, so there's no reason to think he's in the twilight of his prime. 

What Lions should spend high draft picks on instead of a quarterback

Lions executive vice president and general manager Brad Holmes has received some criticism this offseason for not adequately addressing certain roster gaps via free agency. Breer listed one part of the Lions squad that Holmes could bolster via overall draft picks No. 17 and No. 50 in April. 

"The Lions, for example, have work to do on the offensive line, a unit that was the foundation of the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell rebuild," Breer added. "With only those two picks in the top 100, and shrinking cap space, it’d stand to reason resources should go there, rather than to find a developmental quarterback."