Combine Buzz: Are Lions Shopping QB Jared Goff?
On an annual basis, the NFL offseason brings about speculation aplenty regarding what each franchise will do to try to keep moving in its intended direction.
As for the Lions, it's all about what the organization will do to attempt to keep its rebuild moving forward.
Subsequently, the attention of many fans and pundits alike is geared toward what Detroit will do with the No. 2 overall selection in this April's NFL Draft.
Yet, there is some buzz that has come out of the NFL scouting combine this week regarding another topic: Would the Lions consider trading starting signal-caller Jared Goff?
Goff is all but penciled in to be Detroit's starter come Week 1 of the 2022 season.
However, at the end of the day, Goff is nowhere near the caliber of a high-end starting QB, and is largely viewed as a placeholder in Motown for the coming season.
So, for the right package of assets, you've got to believe that Detroit general manager Brad Holmes would be willing to part with the 27-year-old this offseason.
And, there are certainly more than a few teams that will be searching for their next franchise passer in the coming months. The list of QB-needy organizations includes the Houston Texans, the Denver Broncos, the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, just to name a few.
However, for the same reasons above, a trade involving Goff is not likely to happen.
There are not many teams, if any, that are going to offer a package of valuable draft picks and/or young talent for a quarterback that's coming off a season in which he threw for just 19 touchdowns and 231.8 yards per game. Plus, Goff recorded a significantly underwhelming QBR of 39.5 in 2021, placing him 24th among all 31 eligible QBs.
I wouldn't say that's too enticing to fellow NFL franchises, and it's a large reason why I expect him to stay put in the Motor City for at least another season.
Junfu Han, USA TODAY NETWORK
From an organizational standpoint, it's an ultra important offseason for the Lions, with the upcoming draft having a lot to do with the future makeup of the roster and ultimately, the overall quality of the end result of the rebuild.
Luckily, for Holmes & Co., they have nine total draft picks at their disposal this year, including two first-round selections (the aforementioned No. 2 overall pick and the No. 32 overall selection).
Earlier this week at the combine, Holmes talked about Detroit's plan of attack for the offseason with Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.
"Not putting too much pressure on ourselves, we have a process in place, and we know we’re going to follow that same process,” Holmes said. “We’ll be in better shape this year than last year; we had so much going on. We’re much more structured and organized going into it. But, we’re still going to operate the same way. We’re still going to look at the tape, and we’re going to find the guys that fit us. And, we’re going to acquire the guys that we love.
“It’s going to be the same approach, but it’s going to be fun, because now we have those resources, not only this year but next year.”
