3 reasons Jared Goff is the Lions starting quarterback
3. Money talks
If the Detroit Lions had little interest in Goff as their starting quarterback, then they wouldn’t have accepted him in the trade and his remaining four-year, $106.6-million contract. It includes $43 million fully guaranteed and $25 million in base salary in 2021. That’s a big contract to inherit if you’re not planning to keep him around for a couple of years.
If the plan was to take Goff and trade him during the draft or before the 2021 season starts, the team took a very large risk and likely minimized their trade options for him based on salary cap figures alone. It just doesn’t add up.
Sure, the Lions received a third-round pick in 2021 and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, but is that enough to take on a huge contract? I mean, at that point you’re buying future draft picks. Which, as the salary cap seems to be tight, is another huge risk if you really don’t want the player.
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To sum it up
Jared Goff is the Detriot Lions quarterback in 2021. And he might be the quarterback for a longer haul than people might expect.
If the Lions don’t invest in a young quarterback in the draft when they have the seventh overall pick and extra draft capital, they might be out of luck for a blue-chip quarterback in upcoming drafts as well. Nobody expects to have a top 10 draft pick, even when rebuilding. So, get comfortable with Goff under center in Detroit.