Jared Goff contract details, grade: Lions make Cowboys look foolish, give star QB the bag
By Mark Powell
It took the Detroit Lions decades to find a quarterback who could help them win. While Matthew Stafford was a step in the right direction, it turned out to be another former No. 1 overall pick who took Detroit to their second ever NFC Championship Game, and first in over thirty years.
Jared Goff was merely a throw-in in the trade which sent Stafford to Los Angeles. Sean McVay made it clear that he didn't believe he could win a Super Bowl with Goff, but preferred a proven veteran like Stafford instead. That trade worked out well for both sides, and Goff went from bridge quarterback to Pro Bowl-level passer. He's the quarterback of the present and future for the Lions.
Jared Goff contract details: Lions give QB a record deal
The price for quarterbacks is going up by the week, it would seem. Goff was next up, and he was always destined to reset the market. Goff became the highest-paid Detroit Lion ever with his new contract, which will guarantee him $170 million over a four-year period, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Goff has the potential to earn as much as $212 million overall if he meets all his incentives, and if the Lions keep him around long enough to do so.
Jared Goff contract grade: Lions beat Cowboys to the punch
Goff's contract is expensive, no doubt, but one look at the deal Kirk Cousins signed with the Falcons this spring made it clear such a move was coming. The Lions will take their medicine now with Goff, rather than hitting reset with an unproven commodity. Heck, the Lions would rather pay Goff now than find out how much the next team will pay their starting QB post-Goff.
That team could very well be the Dallas Cowboys, which owe Dak Prescott a ton of money in a contract year. By waiting far too long to pay Prescott, his asking price has only gone up.
Lions contract grade: B-. Yes, paying Goff comes with a lot of risk. Is he good enough to lead the Lions to the Super Bowl? This much we do not know, but Goff is capable and Detroit should be a yearly postseason contender with him under center.
For a franchise like the Lions, that's enough to make this contract a win.
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