The 2026 NFL season will be Jared Goff’s sixth season in a Detroit Lions uniform. Goff played in all 17 games last season for Detroit. He completed 68.0% of his passes for 4,564 yards, 34 touchdowns and eight interceptions, finishing second in the NFL in both passing yards and passing touchdowns.

That production still was not enough to put him inside the top 10 at his position entering this season.

Jared Goff Lands 11th in NFL.com’s Tier 2

Nick Shook of NFL.com sorted all 32 starting quarterbacks into tiers ahead of Week 1. Tier 1 held only four names: Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, Patrick Mahomes and Drake Maye. Goff landed in Tier 2 at No. 11 overall, one spot outside the top 10.

Shook wrote, “Jared Goff and the Lions have plenty to prove after missing the playoffs last season, although their offensive line concerns me and could be an issue if it doesn’t collectively elevate its play in 2026.”

Detroit finished 9-8 last season, fourth in the NFC North, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022. The Lions will look to get back for the third time in four seasons when they open the season against the New Orleans Saints at Ford Field on Sunday.

Who NFL.com Put Ahead of Goff

Six quarterbacks sit in front of Goff inside Tier 2: Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys at No. 5, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 6, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 7, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens at No. 8, Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears at No. 9 and Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks at No. 10.

Only two Tier 2 quarterbacks rank behind him. Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars is 12th and Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers is 13th.

What Goff Still Has to Prove

So what more does Goff have to do to be considered a top 10 quarterback in the NFL? It is one thing to be left out of Tier 1. It is another to sit on the lower end of Tier 2 after finishing second in the league in both passing yards and passing touchdowns.

One more season like that, and the tier should take care of itself.