David Shaw: Jared Goff in 'Upper Echelon' of NFL Quarterbacks

What new passing game coordinator sees in Lions veteran quarterback.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16). | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The offseason leading up to the 2025 season has been one of change for the Detroit Lions, with several coaching changes particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

Coach Dan Campbell hired a pair of new faces to lead the unit, with John Morton taking over the coordinator duty and David Shaw joining the staff as the passing game coordinator.

Shaw will have a firsthand role in helping to mold the passing attack that will feature Jared Goff, the Lions quarterback who was an MVP finalist last season and has experienced a career resurgence since being traded to Detroit.

The newcomer fills the vacancy left by Tanner Engstrand, who departed to join former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as the offensive coordinator of the New York Jets. Shaw will work closely with Morton, whom he has previously worked with on Jon Gruden's staff with the then-Oakland Raiders.

Campbell noted that in hiring the new offensive staff, Goff's comfort level was taken into significant consideration. In Shaw, the Lions have a new passing game coordinator who is familiar with the passer dating back to both's days in the Pac-12.

Shaw was the head coach at Stanford while Goff was the quarterback at California, meaning the two have some rivalry history. However, the new coach is thrilled to be working alongside a former competitor.

Moreso, there is an apparent hunger within the passer that Shaw has felt in his initial meetings with him. He believes Goff is firmly entrenched amongst the best at his position.

"There's hunger in Jared that I think is great. You feel it in the meeting room, you feel it when he's out there with the guys," Shaw said. "He's trying to play up to a standard and bring everybody up along with him. I've known Jared and known of Jared for a long time, since probably his junior year of high school, and I've got no complaints, I'm just extremely excited. I do have one complaint, he went to Cal, but that's just a whole other deal. But, as far as being in the upper echelon of this league, he absolutely is. I'm really excited to be on the same side with him."

Goff threw for 4,629 yards last season in leading the Lions to a franchise-record 15 wins and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. He also finished fifth in MVP voting, and earned Pro Bowl honors for the fourth time in his career.

Now, with new leadership for the offense, the 30-year-old is looking to continue that success and help the Lions complete their goal of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. He's checked many boxes of a successful career, but as quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell later pointed out, a championship remains out for the taking.

"There's very little left for Jared to accomplish other than a Super Bowl championship. He's been to the Pro Bowl and he's one of the best in the business right now. But, he's in pursuit of winning a championship, and that is what drives him," Brunell said. "He understands full well that what you do in May has everything to do with what happens in February.

"Not just him, but being a leader of this team and getting on the same page with the other guys, guys that he's been with for a while, all the positions on the offense and just being our leader, our franchise quarterback, he understands that you have a window. And however long this window's open we don't know. But, we know we have this year, and so he is very much in pursuit of us being the best team in the NFL."