Despite the fact that they had an impressive season in 2023, the Detroit Lions had several needs to address during the 2024 offseason — and general manager Brad Holmes did just that.
Most importantly, the Lions beefed up their defense in a big way with the additions the team made at cornerback and along the defensive front. Detroit also made sure that their elite offensive line was kept mostly intact, and they more than adequately replaced the one starter who departed.
On top of all that, the Lions inked multiple franchise cornerstones to extensions, which will keep their core together for the long haul.
Despite the overall positive outlook for the Lions' offseason, ESPN's Seth Walder gave the team a surprisingly low grade for the moves they made, with the NFL analyst slapping a "C" grade on them.
Walder's biggest gripe was the contract extension the Lions signed quarterback Jared Goff to. He felt the Lions paid too much for the veteran signal-caller, who netted a four-year, $212 million deal.
The most important transaction the Lions made was the $212 million extension they handed to Goff. It's not a move I can endorse at that price. And it has the potential to hamper the organization for years. Goff's is a divisive talent, but I think most would agree he's not a top-10 QB and that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson deserves a fair share of credit for Detroit's offensive success. If Johnson leaves for a head-coaching job in the near future, how effective would Goff be? It's a fair question.
Had the Lions let Goff play out his 2024 deal (roughly $27 million in cash) and then given him the nonexclusive franchise tag in 2025 and again in 2026 and again in 2027, that would be roughly 1/27 or 2/69 or 3/120 or 4/193, based on OverTheCap's 2025 franchise tag projections and assuming a 20% raise each year after that for future tags. With this deal, it's either 1/119 or 2/154 or 3/172 or 4/194 or 5/241. The Lions lost their flexibility and now need Goff to play on this contract through 2027 just to break even -- or through 2028 to get any value -- relative to the tag.
Walder was a fan of the signings of guard Kevin Zeitler, EDGE Marcus Davenport and defensive lineman D.J. Reader, and liked the draft selections of Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr., as well as the extensions the team handed out to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and right tackle Penei Sewell.
As far as good news, the Lions were able to secure crucial value deals for Glasgow and Zeitler in what was a very expensive guard market. They brought in DJ Reader at defensive tackle and signed Marcus Davenport on a worthwhile one-year flier to fill a need at edge opposite Aidan Hutchinson. The team spent its first two draft picks filling out its major need at corner, though they sacrificed value to trade up for Terrion Arnold.
The Lions also signed offensive tackle Penei Sewell and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to contracts at the very high end of the market, but those players are deserving of high-end deals.
Earlier in his article, Walder seemed to be a fan of the extension the Jacksonville Jaguars recently gave Trevor Lawrence. The deal is worth more in total value and annual average than Goff's, yet Lawrence hasn't come close to accomplishing what Goff has, nor has he put up the kinds of numbers the veteran has.
The fact is, the Lions could do a lot worse than Goff, who had the team 30 minutes from a Super Bowl before the wheels came off, especially on the defensive side of the ball. His contract number is astronomical, for sure, but so is every new contract for quarterbacks. And, with other signal-callers on tap to sign new deals, he won't be in his current spot among the highest-paid quarterbacks for long.
