Should Lions Have Extended Jared Goff First?

Should the Lions have extended Goff before Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell?

Jared Goff / Lon Horwedel, USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday, Brad Holmes and the Lions made it crystal clear: They're serious about building a long-term winning product in Motown. 

They did just that by inking Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell, two of the NFL's very best players under the age of 25, to lucrative contract extensions. With that, the organization proved that it is committed to keeping its core intact for the future.

With St. Brown and Sewell each now locked up, it's gotten fans and pundits both thinking that signal-caller Jared Goff has to be the next Lions player in line for a new long-term deal.

It certainly would make sense, as Goff is the proverbial “straw that stirs the drink” in Detroit. And there’s arguably been no player more important to the Lions’ seismic turnaround from cellar-dwellers to legitimate Super Bowl contenders than the veteran quarterback.

It begs the question: Should Holmes & Co. have extended Goff before St. Brown and Sewell? You can definitely make a strong argument for it.

Sure, St. Brown has put up some gaudy numbers since being drafted in 2021, especially the last two years with consecutive 100-plus catch and 1,100-plus yard campaigns. Meanwhile, Sewell has grown into an All-Pro, just like St. Brown, and has become one of the very best offensive tackles in the entire league.

St. Brown and Sewell – both of whom are now the highest-paid players at their positions – are each deserving of their respective new contracts. However, neither player can lay claim to lining up at quarterback, the most important position in the game, like Goff. 

Goff, the 2016 No. 1 overall pick, was given up on by Sean McVay and the L.A. Rams, and was quite literally a throw-in in the Matthew Stafford trade in early 2021. 

Goff – a two-time Pro Bowler with the Rams – has resurrected his career and returned to his Pro Bowl-caliber ways since then, however. 

In fact, since the start of the 2022 campaign, the signal-caller has thrown for 59 touchdown passes and 9,013 yards while completing 66.2 percent of his passes. 

And most importantly, he’s played an integral role in transforming the Lions into a winning franchise. Over the last two years, he's led Detroit to a 21-13 regular season record, a division championship for the first time in 30 years and a playoff win for the first time in 32 years.  

While accomplishing all that, he's been arguably the team's biggest leader both on and off the field. 

And after leading the Lions to the NFC Championship Game this past season, the man can seemingly do no wrong in the eyes of the fanbase. He can walk into any restaurant in the metro Detroit area, and throughout the state of Michigan, and get a free meal whenever he desires. And you never know when a “Jared Goff!” chant is going to break out at a Red Wings game or even at a Big East basketball game between Marquette and Seton Hall.

Jared Goff chants with Jordan Love in attendance at Marquette basketball game in Milwaukee #AllGrit #OnePride @Lions pic.twitter.com/4tOOZfFQzS

— Brendan Fosgitt (@BFosgitt) January 27, 2024

He's become somewhat of a cult hero with the fans in Detroit, and it's been fun to watch as a pundit covering the team.

Now, he's set to potentially make as much as $50 million per season as part of his next contract, and it's hard to argue that the 29-year-old is not deserving of every single penny.

No offense to St. Brown and Sewell, but yes, the Lions should've inked Goff to a long-term deal first.