Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff had a fantastic 2023 season, but that doesn't stop the offseason skepticism from flowing freely.
Goff threw for 4,575 yards and 30 touchdowns last year, then led the Lions to two playoff wins. By any stretch of the imagination, it was a year to remember for any signal callermuch less one suiting up in Detroit.
Yet, Goff continues to be disrespected in multiple different offseason rankings. Perhaps the biggest slight came from Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema, who ranked Goff as the 16th-best quarterback in the league-in a Tier 4 group labeled "the melting pot of starters:"
"For as much as Goff was already an efficient, in-structure quarterback, he took that to an even higher level last season. His 85.2 passing grade in 2023 was the highest of his career, his 3.4% big-time throw percentage was the highest single-season number since his Rams days and his 2.4% turnover-worthy play percentage was a career low."
"Unfortunately, Goff's play under pressure and outside of structure continues to leave a lot to be desired when compared to other top NFL quarterbacks."
The key variable working against this assessment? Goff continues to benefit from one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. It's been rare for him to lack structure. He has generally flourished, which led to him signing a big contract extension.
It's ironic that Goff was not included in the third tier of Sikkema's ranking ("Postseason-caliber quarterbacks"). After all, that's exactly what Goff is/was. Two players in that tier, Justin Herbert and Aaron Rodgers, didn't lead teams to the playoffs last year.
Regardless, as Goff is doing what he needs to ignore the outside discussion about him.
Jared Goff remains locked in on personal improvement
Ignoring the outside noise, Goff continues to focus on improvement as he works toward the 2024 season. He is not complacent, that's for sure, to the point he didn't full elaborate about all he's working on when he talked to reporters after Wednesday's minicamp practice.
"A ton of stuff. It would take me a long time (to explain it). A lot of nerdy quarterback mechanic stuff, but (there's) always stuff I'm working on. Always stuff I'm trying to get better on, and I treat myself pretty critically."
Goff treats himself critically in a constant quest to improve, as most any player would. But for some reason, certain segments of media choose to dismiss him at every opportunity. But that only seems to be more fuel to his fire as he prepares for another season.