Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff became a 2024 MVP finalist while working with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Johnson is now serving as head coach of the Chicago Bears, and the Lions responded to his departure by hiring former Denver Broncos pass game coordinator John Morton to be their next OC.
Goff recently spoke about how Morton's offense will differ from what fans saw during Johnson's tenure as OC.
"I'm sure the casual fan will notice some of (the changes)," Goff explained, as shared by Tim Twentyman of the Lions' website. "Some of it is different. Some of it is the same. [Morton has] got a long background of stuff he's liked that he's done, and he was here for a year through a lot of our success. There will be a lot of that carryover and some new. He has his flavor on the offense and has been doing a good job."
As Goff alluded to, Morton was a senior offensive assistant with Detroit during the 2022 season when the Lions went 8-2 after Halloween to finish that campaign at 9-8. Detroit is now coming off back-to-back playoff appearances. While the 2023 Lions completed a trip to the NFC Championship Game, the club was unable to overcome a noteworthy injury crisis before it fell in the divisional round of the most recent postseason tournament.
"It's fun. It's a challenge," Goff added about making the transition from Johnson to Morton. "It's new stuff. It's new communication. It's different ways he likes to do things and learning each other. It's a fun challenge. It's something we're working through every day and something that's fun to overcome and get closer to where we want to be."
Goff signed a four-year contract extension last offseason that included $170M guaranteed and could be worth up to $212M. He then went 15-2 as a starter to guide Detroit to its second straight division title.
Per Pro Football Reference, Goff ended the 2024 regular season ranked sixth in the NFL with a 68.4 adjusted QBR, second with a 111.8 passer rating, second with 4,629 passing yards and fourth with 37 touchdowns through the air.
One would think Morton won't want to change too much of what has worked for Goff during the best days of his Lions tenure. Those two growing more comfortable with each other through summer practices could result in the Lions once again competing for more than a postseason berth if injuries don't derail yet another promising season.
As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Lions fifth among the betting favorites at +1000 odds to win Super Bowl LX in February 2026.
