The Detroit Lions have looked in vain for a playoff-winning quarterback for decade after decade.
When the search ended with Jared Goff under center, the franchise was determined not to let him get away.
The Lions and Goff agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract extension, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the terms were not announced, told The Associated Press on Monday that the deal includes $170 million in guarantees.
Goff ended the Motor City’s misery in January, helping the Lions earn two playoff victories in one postseason for the first time since winning the 1957 NFL title.
He led the franchise to its first postseason win in 32 years, beating the Matthew Stafford-led Los Angeles Rams in an NFC wild-card game, and to a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before losing at San Francisco in the NFC championship game.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes acquired Goff and a pair of first-round picks for Stafford three years ago from the Rams, his former team.
The 29-year-old Goff, who was entering the final year of his deal, will be under contract in Detroit through the 2028 season.
He has given the Lions a lot of reasons to keep him around.
Goff didn’t get down emotionally, even when the Lions won just three games in his first year with them in 2021 and followed up the next season with a 1-6 start.
“He’s the captain of the ship,” center Frank Ragnow said. “He’s as steady as it gets.”
Goff, who is from Novato, Calif., starred at California before the Rams drafted him with the No. 1 pick in 2016. He helped the Rams reach the Super Bowl in his third season, and they traded him away two years later and went on to win a Super Bowl championship with Stafford.
Outside of the Lions organization, Goff was viewed as a stopgap quarterback when he was acquired as a castaway.
The three-time Pro Bowl player has been much more.
He was effective during the 2022 season, lifting the Lions to eight wins over their final 10 games. He also played well during much of their breakthrough 2023 season in which they won their first division title in three decades and ended an NFL-record nine-game postseason losing streak that had dragged on since the 1991 season.
Goff threw 383 consecutive passes without an interception, a mistake-free run that trailed just two players in NFL history, before throwing a pick last September. He finished the 2023 regular season ranked No. 2 in passing yards and fourth with 30 touchdown passes, including five in a rout of the Denver Broncos to matched franchise and personal records.
In postseason wins over the Rams and Bucs, he completed 74.3% of his passes for 564 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Goff threw for 273 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers, falling one win short of lifting the Lions to their first Super Bowl.
“He’s as accurate as any quarterback I’ve seen,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said.
The agreement with Goff is the latest investment the Lions have made in keeping key players in the hopes of contending for championships in 2024 and beyond.
Less than a month ago, the Lions signed their All-Pro players to deals that keep them under contract for the next five seasons. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown signed a four-year extension worth more than $120 million with $77 million in guarantees, and offensive tackle Penei Sewell was retained with a four-year, $112 million deal.
