The All-NFC North Preseason Team: Goff leads quarterbacks
The calendar has flipped to July and training camps will be starting later this month, paving the way for camp battles, preseason games and then before you know it the Vikings will be kicking off the 2024-25 season at the Meadowlands in New York on Sept. 8.
To get you prepared for the season, we teamed up with our fellow NFC North writers On SI –– Bill Huber of Packers On SI, John Maakaron ofLions On SI and Gene Chamberlain of Bears On SI –– and voted for the All-NFC North Preseason Team. Goff received three first-place votes and one second-place vote.
We'll be unveiling the position-by-position results in the days to come, and we start with quarterback.
Detroit's Jared Goff received three first-place votes and one second-place vote to take the First Team spot. Green Bay's Jordan Love had one first-place vote (from me), while Chicago's Caleb Williams and Minnesota's Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy rounded out the quarterback rankings.
1. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions – by John Maakaron, Lions On SI
The emergence of Goff has been a welcome surprise for Lions fans. After beginning his tenure believed to be a bridge to the future, the veteran has revitalized his career and taken the reins of the franchise. He was rewarded for leading the team to the NFC Championship game with a hefty contract extension.
Still just 29 years old, Goff is now piloting the team through its Super Bowl window. The pressure will be on to win right away, but the passer has proven he can do what it takes to do so. Detroit has built a strong offense around him, so he has the necessary weapons to succeed.
Goff has played at a high level over the past two seasons and was in the top five in the league in both passing yards and touchdowns last season. His timing on passes and ball security have both been greatly improved since his first season in Detroit, which allows the Lions to thrive.
The Lions have their core foundation in place heading into a pivotal 2024 season. GM Brad Holmes has not been shy about his confidence in Goff since acquiring him in 2021, and that confidence has since been rewarded.
Jordan Love’s greatness has been etched into stone. After all, he’s going to sign a contract extension that might make him the highest-paid player (by annual salary) in NFL history. He’s one of the MVP favorites. So, once again, the Packers have a great quarterback piloting the franchise.
That’s the consensus, anyway. The reality is Love has a lot to prove this season.
2. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers – by Bill Huber, Packers On SI
Love’s greatness is based on one-half season. During the first half of his debut season as the starter, Love ranked last in the NFL in interceptions and near the bottom in completion percentage and passer rating. In leading the Packers to a 6-2 finish to the regular season and a berth in the playoffs, he ranked first in interceptions, second in touchdowns, second in passer rating and third in completion percentage down the stretch.
Now, he’s got to do it September through January (or perhaps February).
There’s no reason why he shouldn’t. He’s poised and mature. His arm is strong and accurate. He’s intelligent and athletic. Love took his lumps last season and was stronger for it. Moreover, he’s got one of the best skill-position groups in the NFL, even if no one outside of Wisconsin has heard of the likes of Jayden Reed or Luke Musgrave.
If Love is who everyone thinks he is, the Packers are set to embark on another decade-plus of being Super Bowl contenders.
3. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears – by Gene Chamberlain, Bears On SI
So much has been set up with this offense for Williams to succeed immediately but offseason hype has been so high that it almost seems impossible for him to live up to expectations—that is, until he actually throws a ball or runs a play.Then it’s apparent why they placed the future of the franchise on Williams’ shoulders.Throughout the offseason, the first pick of the draft has battled daily through learning the offense right down to the cadences used to all nuances of facing a top NFL defense in practices. By the end of minicamp, Williams looked far more decisive and NFL ready than at the outset. He dropped in throws to open spots within zone defenses for receivers to track down or rifled spirals into tight windows. He even threw off the defense with his eye fakes alone during early practices, something which infuriated veteran linebackers. His short throws were far more accurate than those Bears receivers had become used to seeing.Williams’ knack for off-platform throws on extended plays occurred more frequently, as well, and coaches quickly prepared to weaponize this by integrating it into their scrimmages. Next to come, doing all of this against live fire in padded practices.For once, the Bears appear to have the passer they thought in a draft. It all comes down now to how well they protect him and whether the defense keeps him close in games. All signs are he has plenty of weapons for a rookie season more approximating that of former No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow than last year’s No. 1, Bryce Young.
4. Sam Darnold/J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings – by Joe Nelson, Vikings On SI
It's been reported that McCarthy could start Week 1 against the Giants if he meets specific benchmarks. The problem is that nobody outside of TCO Performance Center in Eagan knows what those benchmarks are and head coach Kevin O'Connell is already on record saying Darnold is QB1 entering training camp.
If McCarthy does become the starter at some point this season, he'll be in rare air – just like Caleb Wiliams in Chicago – getting to start as a rookie first-round pick who is actually surrounded by marquee talent. First-round quarterbacks thrown into the fire as a rookie usually have experiences closer to what Darnold had in New York in 2018 when he looked up in the huddle and saw Robbie Chosen and Quincy Enunwa. In Minnesota, whether it's Darnold or McCarthy, the starting quarterback will walk into the huddle with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones, Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill.
That idea that Minnesota's supporting cast might be too good for Darnold or McCarthy to fail is supported by the fact that head coach Kevin O'Connell was slick enough to call an offense that made Josh Dobbs look good for a hot second and helped Nick Mullens throw for more than 800 yards in two starts against the Lions late last season.
There are a lot of unanswered questions, but the Vikings are built to help the quarterback find success.
JOE NELSON