Jared Goff reiterates his desire to stay in Detroit for a long time

A player being absent from voluntary offseason work in mid-April tends to take on more importance than it really should. It's usually a stance to get a new contract, or as talks are going on. While Amon-Ra St. Brown is not at Allen Park for the first few days of voluntary work for the Detroit, Jared Goff is and he's not worried about St. Brown's absence.

A prominent topic so far this offseason, and it will be until it's done, is Goff's contract extension as he heads into the final year of his current deal. He is line to make at or close to $50 million a year in his next contract, so neither side is rushing anything.

This is where it's worth saying it's only mid-April, and after the draft seems like a prime spot for news that Goff's contract extension is done.

Goff was the first Lions' player to speak to the media on Tuesday, and on the topic of contract talks he had little to say initially.

"Yeah, there have been discussions, but I’ll leave it at that,” Goff said.

Then later asked to elaborate, Goff went a little further and reiterated basically what he has said all along.

Jared Goff reiterates desire to stay in Detroit long-term

Asked how confident he is about a deal being done, Goff said "We hope so, but I'm not in control of that." That wasn't exactly the bold declaration people may have hoping to hear, but it's not surprising Goff is continuing to play it close to the vest regarding contract talks with deference to what general manager Brad Holmes has said.

"You never know. There are discussions. Brad said what he said to you guys, and I'll say the same thing. There have been discussions, and my agent is on top of it, and I trust those guys," said Goff.
"I love it here, and I would love to be here for a long time,"

The Lions want Goff to be their quarterback for some years past the expiration of his current contract. He has found a true football home in Detroit, with an organization that believes in him, and he continues to make it clear he wants to stick around. Genuine concern can be had if a deal is not done in 3-4 months, stretching into the start of training camp, but we simply (still) are not there yet.