I was just going to post something similar. The new number for QBs is pushing 50 annually. Not sure if Goffs contract is even top 10 anymore and if it is it won’t be for much longer.
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I hated the contract when it was signed despite being a fan of the Goff journey. Never like top of the market contracts.
I think Goff should take a pay cut like Brady has done. The lions can invest in talent around him and it shows goffs commitment to the team and winning.
It’s not his fault that Snead overpaid, but he has a chance now to commit to the team and help the future. Would be a huge win for Holmes and DC too. Make it happen Jared
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I can’t see Holmes giving up on Goff next year and drafting a qb. Think Goff hasn’t had the same oline the whole year. Goff hasn’t had a true number one or two the whole year. If the lions play the draft and FA right we will make the playoffs. Remember 1-6-1 in close games.
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Sorry I wasn’t more specific. Moving forward, which speaks to draft or not to draft a QB, JG’s cap hit is 31.2M and 30.7M for 2022 and 2023 respectively. That is not average QB money. Aaron is making 27M this year, so that’s how I was making the comparison as yes his contract balloons to 46.1M in 23. So technically JG isn’t making AR money contract for contract, but 30M is elite QB money no matter how you slice it and that is what we are on the hook for over the next two seasons. That will severely hamper what we could be doing around that position if we instead choose to part ways asap and get a high ceiling guy in this year. For me those guys are Corral/Willis/Ridder (all playing or played in their bowl games). Maybe Pickett, but I’m not sold on him.
I just don’t see a scenario where I’m going gosh, I so wish we hadn’t moved on from Goff. But that’s me. I think we can do better or same as for a lot less and thus improving the team in other areas at a considerable clip when you start throwing an extra 25M around to fill out your starting roster.
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Maybe Goof can “Coach” his girlfriend up into making Model Giselle $$$, with high-end Fashion Designers??. Then, it would be easier for Goof to take less, ala Brady…
His pay is actually on the lower end of the scale for a veteran QB.
Take out the career back-up / low level starters and all the QB’s on rookie contracts. Then look at the rest.
Here I’ll do it for you. Let’s look at the average QB pay for 2022 and beyond.
A. Rogers is 46 mil
Mahomes is averaging 45 mil a year.
K. Cousins 45 mil
M. Ryan is 45 mil
J. Allen is 43mil
D. Prescott is 40 mil
D. Watson is 39 mil
R. Tannehill is 37 mil
R. Wilson is 35 mil
C. Wentz is 32 mil
J. Goff is 31mil
So there are 10 veterans making more than him right now.
Keep in mind there are 1/2 dozen players who will be getting new contracts this offseason and next as well. Those players will surely make more than Goff does.
We have Goff on a pretty fair deal when you take a moment to really dig into the contract.
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Cap hit during a specific year is a very poor way of looking at a contract, it is too easily manipulated. Best way to compare QB contracts is Average per Year (APY) over the length of the new years on the contract.
i.e. Rodgers signed an extension in 2019 to pay him $134M in new money over 4 new years on his contract or $33.5M APY.
Goff signed an extension with the Rams in 2019 to pay him $134M in new money over 4 new years on his contract or $33.5M APY.
When the Lions traded for Goff, they owed him $25.65M in 2021, $26.15M in 2022, $25.65M in 2023 and $26.65M in 2024 or $26M per year.
Rodgers is a $33.5M QB for the Packers
Goff was a $33.5M QB for the Rams
Goff is a $26M QB for the Lions
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Which must mean that Goff was actually more than 33.5 for the 2 years of service that the Rams got from him.
Rams got zero years of service for Goff. Goff played five years for the Rams, which would include his four year rookie contract and his fifth year option. The Rams paid Goff $32.5M, to play zero years for the Rams.
Point being, if the contract extension was 4 years x 33.5 per year and the team that is actually paying him for those years is paying 26.5, then the team that signed him paid him for a portion of those years already.
It’s all the perspective that you choose to look through the glasses with.
From Goff’s perspective, he’s getting $33.5M per season. from the Lions perspective, they are paying him $26M per season.
If we are talking about the Lions and their salary cap, I’d look at it from the Lions perspective.
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I’m the base layman of contracts, so certainly would defer to you. But I was not looking at one year’s cap hit, I was looking at 2022 and 2023 which I believe are very relevant as we decide to Goff or not to Goff regarding the draft and FA. According to this:
The Cap Hit in 22 is 31,150,000 and in 23, 30,650,000. I don’t understand why these numbers are not relevant. Does our cap NOT get hit with these exact numbers in the next two years? Maybe sportrac has it wrong, or maybe didn’t catch up with the restructure or something, not sure. I may have to backtrack my argument all the way to a rookie QB under a 5 year contract will be cheaper than Goff. But dammit, my POINT remains lol!
Sure.
I was just looking at the per year average of actual new money as you listed it.
Since the new money is actually equal to Rodgers’s, yet our (Lions) cost is less, the question for some might be why? Goff didn’t agree to a lesser contact for us. His contract is still his contract, rather the Rams paid a portion of new money as a signing bonus when Goff agreed to the new deal. They effectively increased their cost for Goff in 2019 and 2020, reducing the per-year cost for the actual 4-years that we’ve traded for.
Further, much of the “guaranteed” portion had been paid as said bonus in 2019, allowing us to cut him after 2022 (after the remaining guaranteed portion has been paid).
I’m obviously not saying anything you don’t know, but am probably thinking in terms of other conversations that have occurred.
Spotrac’s numbers are correct.
Cap Hits are easily manipulated and this was done in Goff’s case. When we traded for him he was due cash and his corresponding cap hits were as follows:
| Cash | Cap | |
|---|---|---|
| Due | Charge | |
| 2021 | 25,650,000 | 25,650,000 |
| 2022 | 26,150,000 | 26,150,000 |
| 2023 | 25,650,000 | 25,650,000 |
| 2024 | 26,650,064 | 26,650,064 |
Because the Lions were tight against the cap, they gave Goff $20M of his 2021 salary and treated it as signing bonus and prorated it over 4 years. After this was done, Goff’s cash due and cap charges were as follows:
| Cash | Prorated to | Cap | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Due | Future Years | Charge | |
| 2021 | 25,650,000 | (15,000,000) | 10,650,000 |
| 2022 | 26,150,000 | 5,000,000 | 31,150,000 |
| 2023 | 25,650,000 | 5,000,000 | 30,650,000 |
| 2024 | 26,650,064 | 5,000,000 | 31,650,064 |
This wasn’t done because Goff is worth $10M in 2021 and will be worth 3 times as much in 2022-2024. It was done because of bad contracts by prior administration, the Lions team as a whole needed money to get under the TEAM salary cap.
If we ignore the fact that Goff has $15M in guaranteed money due in 2022 and we cut Goff in March 2022, the Lions will save $26.15M, that $5M that was bonused out as signing bonus money will be charged against the Lions cap whether Goff is on the team or not. So if you subtract what is going to be charged against the cap no matter what ($5M), the amount that is important to deciding whether we keep Goff or not is the cash due $26.15M (Cap hit of $31.15M less $5M that will hit the cap whether we keep Goff or not).
Another way to think about it is every time you pay a player cash, at some point that amount has to hit the salary cap. If you don’t pay a player cash, you don’t have to recognize anything against the cap. So the cap hit is irrelevant, when and how much you pay a player is the relevant figure.
Yep, bad contracts have been the hallmark of this team for a long, long time. After we get out from under Flowers next year we should just about be done. Just a quick question, any thoughts on where QB contracts will be by 2023? I guess I’m just wondering if Goff’s contract won’t see so bad esp if restructured since he is younger.
A few teams have won Super Bowls with that kind of QB. Goff, while he didn’t win, he played in one. That said, it has to be considered just how devoid of talent this roster is in order to be fair to Goff. He doesn’t have Calvin Johnson out there. I go back to the comparison between Goff and Scott Mitchell. I’d love to judge Goff based on him playing with the level of talent that Mitchell played with. If Goff was that blessed, my guess is he would win at least a playoff game 
I don’t think Goff’s contract is bad, I think it’s pretty close to where it should be.
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His contract has aged into acceptability.
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Yes, it was like when Matt was the highest paid QB in the league for what, 1 season? I asked because I also think it’s where it should be.
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Ok, so “cap hit” isn’t a number that relates to a team getting above the salary cap then right? IE, if the salary cap is 100 dollars, the cap hit for all your players is 100 dollars, but your “cash due” to all those players is 80 dollars, then you have 20 dollars to spend on other players, not 0. Am I tracking?