The Detroit Lions have been in a unique position ever since Jared Goff was traded to the team in 2021. From almost the beginning, Goff has been the answer at the position that few assumed he would be.
Over the last five seasons, Goff has not only stabilized things for the Lions, but he's been one of the best quarterbacks in football over that same span, too. Statistically, Goff has been a near top-five player in multiple different categories while leading the Lions to become one of football's best offenses.
Even though that is the case, it doesn't stop the court of public opinion from continuing to slot Goff lower than he deserves to be ranked against his counterparts. Pro Football Focus analysts Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick ranked every quarterback in the league before 2026. Surprisingly, Goff placed at No. 16 in spite of some fantastic traits.
"Goff's average time to throw of 2.57 seconds was tied for second-fastest in the league in 2025, and his EPA on zero-graded throws ranked second overall at 0.090 per attempt — numbers that reflect a quarterback who functions as an extraordinarily efficient system executor."
"He has done nothing but stuff the stat sheet since being traded to the Lions. The former No. 1 overall pick leads the league in passing yards (18,205) and passing touchdowns (130) since 2022, and he ranks sixth among qualifying quarterbacks in PFF WAR since 2023. His accuracy was outstanding in 2025, as his 14.4% uncatchable pass rate ranked first in the league. While the Lions missed the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, it’s hard to blame Goff for their shortcomings."
Goff was ranked behind names such as Jordan Love (sixth), Justin Herbert (seventh), Dak Prescott (eighth), Drake Maye (ninth), and Brock Purdy (10th). Additionally, Caleb Williams (13th) placed ahead of Goff. At various points, Goff has been a more consistent quarterback than all of those names.
With this in mind, it's tough to understand why Goff was ranked so low against other quarterbacks in the NFL. Statistically and otherwise, he deserves to be better than squarely in the middle of the pack. He's accomplished more lately than a handful of players ahead of him on the list statistically and otherwise. It's just additional fuel for Goff's fire.
Goff motivated not only by Dan Campbell, but the chance to improve
Don't count on Goff caring where he is ranked to start a new season on the field. The quarterback has been notorious for not paying attention to any outside noise, and instead choosing to focus on the variables that he can control when he plays.
This season, that's already been the case. As always, Goff likes what he is seeing from Campbell as a leader, but knows that the Lions already planned to put their best foot forward and compete hard, because they were frustrated and disappointed with how the 2025 season played out.
"It's been awesome. I think (Dan Campbell has) done a great job of leading the troops like he always does and we follow suit. I think in some capacity, there's some (extra internal motivation) maybe, but we're always trying to get better. We're always trying to improve, and I think we are hungry. We were a fourth-place team last year, and we need to come out and play a lot better this year."
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This mindset is the reason Goff has been so successful in Detroit. Whether the Lions had won the title last year or finished like they did, the mindset was never going to change. The chip would remain firmly on the shoulder of the franchise as well as their leader, no matter where he was ranked or what was said.
Goff will once again get a chance to prove that he's a top quarterback in the league this year. That will be true whether he finally enjoys that recognition in the end or not.
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