Winner: The Next Quarterback(s) Who Will Get A New Contract
After a quarterback gets a big contract, the next quarterback to get a new deal gets a little more per year almost all the time. Sorry, those are the rules.
So Jordan Love, Dak Prescott, Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence and someone I'm surely forgetting is smiling at what Goff got from the Lions. Love, Tagovailoa and Lawrence are younger than Goff, and there's an argument their upsides are higher than Goff's. Prescott simply has a lot of leverage right now, as the Cowboys have again waited to do something about his contract. Unless they're willing to let him hit the market unabated next March, which is possible.
No matter what, the next quarterbacks in line to get a new contract are almost alongside Goff as winners after the deal the Lions' signal caller got.
Loser: Hendon Hooker
Again obvious, but no less true. Hooker was an older prospect when he was drafted in 2023, then he spent his rookie season "redshirting" as he worked his way back from a torn ACL late in his final college season. Now 26 years old moving toward his second NFL season, his path to starting for the Lions is officially blocked for his entire rookie contract.
Investing in a good backup quarterback is fine, and a good idea in case something were to happen to Goff. But the Lions obviously don't yet know if Hooker can be that. How significant an investment a third-round pick is can be debated, but Hooker was a top-70 overall pick that now could yield absolutely nothing on the field unless Goff is injured.
Hooker will undoubtedly benefit from working with Goff and Ben Johnson. But in terms of his career outlook, Goff's inevitable and now official new contract puts Hooker behind the eight-ball unless (or until) he's no longer in Detroit. He will turn 29 around the time his rookie contract is done, which for comparison sake is Goff's current age.