Lions predicted to give Jared Goff a bag sooner than you might expect

It doesn't seem urgent to get Jared Goff signed to an extension, but a recent prediction has the Lions doing it sooner rather than later.

The idea of the Detroit Lions signing Jared Goff to a contract extension is partly a study of contradictions.

He's got two years left on his contract, so it's not all that urgent. But the quarterback market keeps climbing, and as the top rises so does the price for mid-tier guys like Goff. His current contract is becoming a bargain, so a reworking with an extension could be in play. Oh, but it's not smart to pay someone coming off one of the best seasons of his career like Goff is.

Some might say Goff is the Lions' long-term quarterback, so why not just extend him ASAP? Talks are going on to some degree, but relatively speaking there's time before it really becomes a thing. Ideally, Goff would put together another good season in 2023 before the Lions commit to him beyond 2024.

Lions predicted to commit to Jared Goff sooner than you'd probably expect

Conor Orr of SI.com is out with a list of 100 bold predictions for the 2023 NFL season. One is about Goff's contract situation.

"33. Jared Goff will set the table for a contract extension that tops Daniel Jones’s next year

He is going to throw for at least 28 touchdowns and 4,400 yards. Whether or not the Lions want to keep him long-term, he’s going to make a lot of money in 2024. Goff is 28 and just rounding into the best years of his career. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Lions move to extend him midseason, especially if he’s playing well. Detroit is never going to lose enough games to get itself into the squalor for the Williams-Maye lottery. This is the right move."

With an interceptionless streak of 324 pass attempts that will push toward the all-time record if it continues into the first few games of the season, it's hard to envision Goff playing better than he did last year. Orr's prediction of "at least" 28 touchdowns and 4,400 yards assumes a repeat of 2022 (29 touchdowns and 4,438 yards).

While the quarterback position is a unique entity, the Lions shouldn't be pressured and surely won't be pressured to pony up an extension for Goff if he plays well for a handful of games to start the season. Goff's agent wouldn't be blamed for wanting to strike a deal while the iron remains hot, but the Lions can stay patient.

A midseason agreement on a contract extension, in the middle of the coming season, between the Lions and Goff seems to be on the unlikelier end of the range of possible outcomes. It's not necessarily "bold" to predict it will happen, it's just patently unlikely to go down that way.