Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
As the veteran quarterback dominoes continue to fall, will someone make an offer to the Lions for Jared Goff?
Aaron Rodgers is staying, Russell Wilson is going (to the Broncos) and now Carson Wentz is going too (to the Commanders). So the trade market for veteran quarterbacks, such as there is one, has two or three notable names left (Deshaun Watson, Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo) and everyone else. Is Lions quarterback Jared Goff among those “everyone elses”?
The Lions seem, for lack of a better term, stuck with Goff for 2022. His promising finish to last season is a positive (107.1 passer rating over his final five starts), but a trade is somewhat palatable salary cap-wise this offseason if general manager Brad Holmes is at all open to it. Before Washington made their move for Wentz, as they apparently called anyone who may have a quarterback available, it stands to some level of reason they made a call to the Lions about Goff.
Goff’s contract has a pretty easy out for the Lions in 2023, and an acquiring team would assume no dead money if a deal were made. So it’s a one-year commitment, as noted by Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac, at a fully guaranteed $26.15 million.
What the Lions would want in a trade for Goff is a question, but what Indianapolis got for Wentz (two third-round picks, with the 2023 possible to become a second-rounder along with a pick swap) seems like an easy comp.
Here are four teams who could make an offer to the Lions for Goff.