When the Detroit Lions traded quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for a trio of draft picks and QB Jared Goff, the thought from most of the “experts” was that Goff would just be a bridge until the Lions could find a long-term answer.
During his first season with the Lions, Goff got off to a very rough start and just about everyone was calling for his head.
But after the Lions fired OC Anthony Lynn and head coach Dan Campbell started calling the plays, Goff played much better.
When listening to GM Brad Holmes and Campbell talk about Goff and his future with the team, it sure does sound like they will give him a shot to be the long-term answer for the Lions.
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“Jared is gonna be just like any other player on our roster where he’s gonna have to continue to prove himself, which I have faith that he will,” Holmes said back in January. “I’ll say it again, for the entire organization. Jared, myself, Dan, our rookie class, we all made strides in being part of laying our foundation. It all goes back to being better this year than you were last year. I’m happy for Jared on how he ended the season, but just like how our culture is, you’re gonna have to come back and continue to be better and prove it.”
Predicting the Detroit Lions starting QB for 2023
So, who will be the Detroit Lions’ starting quarterback in 2023? Will Jared Goff get the nod or will the Lions decide to go in a different direction?
In an article recently published on ESPN, Dan Graziano says the “Likely outcome” is that the Lions select QB Will Levis in the 2023 NFL Draft and that it is a “long shot” that Goff is the QB of the future in the Motor City.
Here is Graziano’s breakdown of the Lions’ QB situation for 2023.
Current starter: Jared Goff
Signed through: 2024
A lot of people were surprised the Lions didn’t look for a quarterback this offseason. But the way the team viewed it, the draft didn’t offer a ton of enticing options and dealing away picks for a veteran option wasn’t the smartest idea for a team at this stage of its rebuild. Lions GM Brad Holmes was part of the Rams’ front office when they drafted Goff first overall in 2016, so he has history with him and, at least at one time, was a big fan. The Lions decided to give Goff, who’s 27, another year to show whether he could be more than a short-term stopgap. But this is the final year of his contract with any guaranteed money in it, so the Lions are in position to move on in 2023 if they want.
Most likely outcome: Will Levis (Kentucky). The Lions look like they’re pretty strong on both lines, and it’s reasonable to think they’ll show enough improvement that they won’t be back up near the very top of the draft. Levis is pretty well regarded by a lot of quarterback evaluators for his ability to perform without being surrounded by top talent. I don’t know. That sounds like a Dan Campbell kind of thing to me.
Long shot: Goff has a mid-career renaissance and convinces the Lions he’s the guy with whom they want to move forward.
Nation, make your prediction. Who will be the Detroit Lions starting QB in 2023?
