If there were any questions about how the Detroit Lions feel about Jared Goff moving forward, head coach Dan Campbell stepped in to clear them up. Detroit News' Nolan Bianchi provided the comments that make it clear not only will Goff obviously be the 2026 starter, but Detroit has incredible confidence in the QB moving forward.
""Jared Goff is a stud. ... He played at a very high level all season long...even better than he played the year before... I’m thankful to have him, he’s an absolute stud, he’s a pro, he’s going nowhere.""Dan Campbell
While this is obviously a ringing endorsement of the starter moving forward, it doesn't remove questions from the position. Backup Kyle Allen is set to hit free agency and remains an underwhelming option behind an incredibly durable starter. The Lions would be better served by having an aging veteran or project quarterback behind Goff. Taking this a step further, the Lions lack a third option at the position, as well as needing to add an emergency quarterback in the 2026 offseason.
A big piece of the reason why the Lions find themselves in their current predicament at the position is due to wasted season hoping Hendon Hooker would develop into a viable backup. Detroit finally gave up on this ahead of the 2025 season and is yet to find another reliable option to pad depth at the position.
Lions Have Obvious Depth Concerns Despite Recent Jared Goff Endorsement
Even if the Lions were to make the mistake of re-signing Allen for the 2026 season, this leaves another spot on the depth chart to be filled. With Goff only 31, the franchise shouldn't be concerned about finding the heir apparent just yet. However, the step ahead of this would be drafting a quarterback or looking to add an undrafted free agent as a project quarterback.
This makes more sense than retaining Allen as well, who isn't going to win you any games of note if pressed into action. It is better to take a risk and bring in rookie talent to fill out the depth chart. This opens up the possibility of finding a surprise option if injury strikes or a reliable backup behind Goff.
Regardless of how they choose to answer the problem, it is clear that the Lions have their work cut out for them to bring some needed stability to the position. For a team that has endured injury-plagued seasons over the last two years, it is an obvious area of improvement despite Goff's durability.
For the Lions, the 2026 offseason needs to be focused on fixing the defensive concerns as well as adding offensive depth. This year's failure clearly being an outlier built around a regrettable decision at offensive coordinator and another season of poor injury luck. This furthers the need to upgrade the quarterback position and give the team a puncher's chance if Goff were to go down next season.