The Chiefs just gave the Lions a great blueprint to a Jared Goff restructuring

If Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions want to be Super Bowl champions, they have to find inspiration from actual Super Bowl champions.

No, that doesn't mean going back to the "Patriot Way." The Lions tried that, and we all know how that turned out. But more like the "Chiefs Way."

This week, the Kansas City Chiefs have once again restructured Patrick Mahomes' contract, which Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap notes will lower Mahomes' cap hit from $78.2 million to $34.65 million. Doing so will free up $44 million in cap space in their journey to get under the cap.

What this typically means is that Mahomes will receive that $44 million as an immediate bonus. In turn, this allows the Chiefs to spread the cap hit over a maximum of five years, or the duration of the contract, whichever is shorter.

Fitzgerald explains that the Chiefs' move will increase Mahomes' cap hit by $10.89 million during the following four years. This means Mahomes' 2027 salary is, for now, $85,253,892. This will likely be restructured again in some capacity.

In 2020, the Chiefs and Mahomes agreed to a massive ten-year and up to $503 million deal. Since then, a contract restructure has become almost a yearly tradition for the two sides, with a restructure occurring every year except 2022.

With money still tight for the Lions, despite a larger-than-expected cap increase, it's time for them and Goff to take a page out of this book and start freeing up much-needed cap space.

Jared Goff can also help the Lions out in a big way

According to Spotrac, Goff currently has the fourth-highest cap hit for 2026 at $69.6 million, with only Cleveland Browns' Deshaun Watson ($80.7 million), Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson ($74.5 million), and Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott ($74 million) being above him.

2026 is the second year of Goff's massive four-year $212 million extension signed in 2024. Goff's current $69.6 million cap hit in 2026 more than doubles his $32.6 million cap hit from 2025, hence why a Goff restructuring is getting a lot of attention now.

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Spotrac notes that the Lions and Goff can save the team $42.96 million in space, the most among the top five cap hits they listed, but just short of the $44 million the Chiefs just created with Mahomes. This could be a part of a greater offseason plan, in which the Lions can create up to $128 million in space through restructures and other means.

With top pass rusher Trey Hendrickson and center Tyler Linderbaum on the market and likely to command a hefty contract, and impending extensions for players like running back Jahmyr Gibbs, the Lions need to find cap space quickly if they want to win a Super Bowl. They should start by doing what a Super Bowl champion does, and restructure their QB's contract.