Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff Gets Major Honor (And It’s About Time)

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has boasted some of the best numbers in the league, especially during the last regular season, but he doesn’t always get the respect that he deserves. Flashy guys such as Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen are regulars in conversations about the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now, and even though Goff can stand up to them, he’s often left out of those conversations.

But, now, at long last, Goff is getting some respect in the league. After much anticipation, ESPN has released its tally of the best quarterbacks in the league, and Goff is in there.

The tally comes from Jeremy Fowler, who petitioned coaches, executives and scouts to name their top quarterbacks in the league going into the 2025-26 season. Even though Goff isn’t No. 1, it’s fantastic to see him in the top 10, and he deserves it. Former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is in there, too.

Jared Goff Named One of the Best QBs

Goff was named the No. 8 best quarterback in the league in Fowler’s report. Last year, he was ranked No. 9, so he went up a bit.

“Three years ago (heck, even two), placing Goff in the top 10 was a bold move. Now, it’s rare to find a ballot without his name on it,” Fowler notes in the feature. “Goff appeared on 82% of the top-10 submissions.”

Last season, Goff ranked second in the NFL in yards per attempt and had the second-most yards in the league. Flower notes that “He was especially good on play-action, completing 75.4% of his play-action passes for 1,978 yards and 15 touchdowns, leading the NFL in both categories.”

A longtime AFC scout said of Goff, “He’s improved in his ability to reset his feet and deliver the ball accurately, and it’s changed his career. The coaching staff in Detroit gave him a greater sense of calm in the pocket, and he’s capitalized on it.”

Now, Goff is heading into a new season without offensive coordinator Ben Johnson at the helm, so he has something to prove going into the new year, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. He’s thrived in Detroit, and a lot of that also has to do with Dan Campbell, so hopefully it’s another historic season for Goff.

It’s also worth noting that on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Monday, July 14, ESPN NFL analyst Peter Schrager called Goff “the most pivotal player of the NFL season.”

Former Lions QB Matthew Stafford Also on the Tally

Former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford edged out Goff to be named No. 6 on the roster. That honestly seems high, but that’s what the powers at be thought.

“There’s a reason Stafford garnered significant trade interest when the Rams entertained moving him this offseason — only a few quarterbacks command the position like he does,” Fowler notes. “Players come and go in Los Angeles, but Stafford makes it all work, a truly scheme-transcendent quarterback.”

One NFL coordinator said that Stafford has “Elite poise and toughness in the pocket. The ability to throw with timing and location while he’s about to get hit in the chin is among the best.”

Well, Goff has beaten Stafford multiple times in Detroit, so there’s that. Either way, both Goff and Stafford are among the best in the NFL.