Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has been the mark of consistency the past three seasons, throwing over 4,500 passing yards and over 30 touchdown passes in each of those seasons.
Much like that consistency, Goff again finds himself ranked in the 8-10 range among all QBs. This time, it's The Athletic's yearly veteran QB tiers ranking, which was written, designed, and produced by Mike Sando, Kavya Beheraj, Arthur Galocha, and Jonah Smith. This ranking was voted on by a panel 50 NFL executives and coaches. This may sound familiar, as ESPN did a similar survey in July, which saw Goff ranked #9.
In The Athletic's ranking, Goff remains a Tier 2 QBs for the third consecutive season, with the same #8 ranking as last year. This time, he's sharing the #8 spot with New England Patriots' Drake Maye, who tied Goff. Of the 50 votes, where those surveyed vote on which of the five tiers they believe each QB is in, Goff earned four votes for Tier 1, 39 votes for Tier 2, and seven votes for Tier 3 for an average tier of 2.06.
Despite the tie, the ranking places Maye ahead of Goff, likely due to Maye receiving one more Tier 1 vote than Goff. Together, Goff and Maye rank one spot behind Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott and one spot ahead of Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love.
Goff is the highest-ranked QB in the NFC North in this ranking, much like ESPN's list. So there appears to be uniformity across the league on Goff's status as the division's best QB. Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams isn't too far behind, in a tie for 11th with San Francisco 49ers' Brock Purdy. You'll have to scroll down much farther to find new Minnesota Vikings QB Kyler Murray, who ranks #23 or the 35 QBs ranked.
What coaches and executives had to say about Goff
Goff received a lot of praise from coaches, including one anonymous defensive coordinator who the Lions played against last season, saying, "I have newfound respect for (Goff), watching him operate without Ben (Johnson)." The coordinator praised Goff for his command of the post-Johnson offense, and for "tempoing" their team with his "cadence, movement, motion timing."
Adding to that praise, an offensive coach made an interesting comparison to former Lions QB Matthew Stafford:
"He has the tendency, as Stafford did for a long time, where there are small stretches in seasons where he is not even a (Tier) 2. But when he is rolling, he's a (Tier) 1. He can change the game."
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On the more critical side, two other DCs point to Goff's support on offense, with one saying, "It’s just that the pieces around him really help him." Another DC said, "I was more nervous because of the receivers and the tailback," but recognized that Goff was "good enough where I go, 'OK, he can throw it.'"
The lone quote from a general manager also brings up the "infrastructure" around Goff, although they "don’t necessarily mean that negatively." That GM adding, "Low-end (Tier) 2, high-end (Tier) 3, can win with him and everything like that." However, they believe Goff "got a little bit overvalued, getting a little too much credit" for the Lions' successes in 2023 and 2024.
Whether you're high on Goff or not, there's something for every Lions fan here to validate your opinion. Regardless, it's great to see Goff continue to get respect from those who know the game the best and know well what goes into being a great QB in this sport.
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