January 16, 2021; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) against the Green Bay Packers during the NFC Divisional Round at Lambeau Field. Mandatory credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
After 11 years with Matthew Stafford as a defender in the franchise, the Detroit Lions decided that they would do the right thing with their former interlocutor and exchange him for a candidate. On January 30, the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams agreed to exchange defenders. The Lions sent Stafford and in return received Jared Goff, two future choices from the first round and a future third round as well.
Negotiating a franchise quarterback usually means that the franchise is being rebuilt and a rebuild usually comes from a young novice quarterback. Jared Goff and his contract make the quarterback’s situation a little complicated in Detroit. Goff owes well over $ 50 million over the next two seasons before Detroit can leave his contract, which has the potential to last until 2024. Even with Goff’s considerable contract and him being an above average holder, Lions are still on the market for a defender this next project.
Are Lions still in the QB race?
Detroit’s new general manager, Brad Holmes, was recently on the Huddle and Flow podcast and spoke openly about how Lions are approaching a quarterback position in this draft and season. This shouldn’t necessarily come as a surprise to Lions fans and the rest of the NFL world. Lions have new faces in almost every important position within the organization and it makes sense that they want to handpick a quarterback to plant their flag, so to speak. It’s not that Jared Goff is a bad defender, but Lions don’t seem to see it as a long-term response for your franchise.
As you can see in the link to the clip from general manager Brad Holmes above on the podcast, when asked if Lions are “out of the draft quarterback market,” Holmes responds quickly with a “No! No … absolutely not ”. Holmes goes on to explain how each team should assess the defender’s position in each draft, regardless of their current situation. We all know that this is just a good general manager talking to save Goff’s face as much as he could at that point, but make no mistake about it, Lions are interested in getting a new quarterback if they can.
How will Lions attack the NFL’s 2021 draft?
Anticipate the fast-approaching NFL 2021 Draft, the class is full of quarterback and Holmes talents and the Lions bosses are well aware of that. We can assume that Trevor Lawrence will not be there because the Jacksonville Jaguars are taking him with the first general choice. The Jets in both positions are a contest whether they stay with Sam Darnold or choose a quarterback. If the Jets stay with Darnold, look for them to trade down and that may be where Detroit will take action.
Detroit has the capital of the draft after the Rams negotiation to make a move up and take a quarterback, if they so choose. Whether the exchange is for choosing two, three or four, there are a number of realistic points that make sense for Lions to climb. If the new front line decides that it wants to stay exactly where it is, it will be in good shape with the seventh overall choice.
This class is full of guys like Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, Trey Lance, Mac Jones and many more who could be NFL starters. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw one of those names in a Detroit uniform in the 2021 NFL season.