It’s been a long time since the Detroit Lions have had any sort of quarterback controversy. Through 12 years of Matthew Stafford and now two years of Jared Goff, the Lions have had an established, unquestioned starting quarterback every year from 2009 through 2022.
Make that 2023.
Goff will be the Lions’ starter throughout 2023, barring injury. That remains true even after GM Brad Holmes selected Hendon Hooker in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft. It would still be true even if Hooker were fully healthy and not set to miss at least part of his rookie campaign as he recovers from ACL surgery, too.
The way Goff performed down the stretch in 2022, leading the Lions to a winning record and holding the NFL’s streak of most throws without an interception, guaranteed the veteran will start. He earned it just as he earned his Pro Bowl status.
The 2023 season has always been set up as the “prove it” year for Goff. He’s under contract through 2024, but nothing is guaranteed after the coming campaign. No guaranteed salary means no guaranteed status with the team. Goff is playing for his next contract in 2023, whether that’s in Detroit or somewhere else.
If he plays close to the way he finished the 2022 season, that next contract figures to be in Detroit — and to be a very rich one. That remains the best-case scenario for the Lions and for Goff. If Goff falters back to the level of play he put out in his final two years in Los Angeles or first 1.5 seasons in Detroit, then it figures to be time for both parties to move on.
That’s where Hooker comes into play.
The third-round rookie from Tennessee has starting-caliber upside. High-end starting upside; if he were 22 and healthy, Hooker almost certainly would have been a top-20 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Being 25 and injured changed that dynamic in a manner that’s perfect for the Lions.
Hooker is a QB-in-waiting if the Lions decide Goff either isn’t the long-term answer or wants too much money. Detroit gets a year to work with Hooker and teach him a more NFL-style offensive system. As a third-rounder, he makes for a very budget-friendly backup quarterback for the first few seasons of any Goff extension. That should solve the Lions’ self-admitted problem at backup quarterback.
The only thing that has changed for Goff is the presence of someone who could realistically take over for him. If Goff handles that pressure from Hooker the way he did opposing defenses in Detroit’s 8-2 finish in 2022, that won’t matter either.
