And just like that, the Detroit Lions’ postseason dreams are squashed. Christmas Day’s 23-10 loss to the rival Minnesota Vikings officially eliminated the Lions from playoff contention, sending head coach Dan Campbell’s squad into an early offseason where it is clear that significant changes must be made.

Unsurprisingly, angry Lions fans are calling for one of those changes to come under center after quarterback Jared Goff’s forgettable effort against the Vikings. The veteran signal-caller did his best impression of Homer Simpson disappearing into the hedges during a must-win game, as Goff finished Thursday’s effort with 18-of-29 passing (62.1%) for 197 yards, one touchdown to two interceptions, three lost fumbles, and a 64.9 passer rating.

The 31-year-old gunslinger seemingly caught some heat from Campbell after the game, who told the Detroit News’ Nolan Bianchi that the Lions “can’t turn the ball over six times and win in this league.” Even though not every turnover was Goff’s fault, the fact that he had five of those giveaways made it clear who Campbell is frustrated with.

There’s no question about it: Goff’s disappointing showing will be a dark cloud that hangs above the Lions to begin their postseason. Unfortunately, clearing up the skies above the Motor City will be much easier said than done.

Can the Lions Move on from Jared Goff This Offseason?

In an ideal world, the Lions would turn the page from Goff and move on to a quarterback they can trust more often in season-deciding contests. After all, it’s now back-to-back years that he’s let Detroit down, having thrown three INTs and losing a fumble in the 2024-25 NFC Divisional Round loss to the Washington Commanders in January.

The issue here is that this isn’t an ideal world, and moving on from Goff — at least before the 2026 season — isn’t a surefire plan. For starters, a post-June 1 cut would result in $69.6 million of dead money without any salary cap savings, according to OverTheCap, making a potential release more likely when the penalty shrinks to $14.6 million in 2026 and 2027.

While a potential trade appears to be the more feasible option, it’s far from certain, too. Yes, a post-June 1 trade would open $55 million in savings while accruing a $14.6 million dead cap hit, but that also means the Lions would need to find a team willing to take on the rest of Goff’s deal. There will be some QB-needy teams looking for help this offseason, but they might not be leaping out of their seats to trade for Goff, given how this season ended, combined with his 4-5 career record in the postseason.

Even if the Lions found a way to move on this offseason, would any of Goff’s potential replacements actually be an upgrade? The upcoming free agent class is filled with aging arms (Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, Russell Wilson, etc.), so any potential addition would be a temporary stopgap. The 2026 NFL draft likely won’t offer any immediate difference-makers, while trading for a QB would come with the risk that a potential addition might not be a good fit.

All Signs Point to Goff as Lions’ QB1 in 2026

Taking that into account, it’s hard to imagine anyone but Goff lining up under center in Week 1. Not only would a release be costly and a trade hard to pull off, but he was performing well outside of Week 17 and already has more chemistry with the Lions’ offensive weapons than any offseason addition would have. Unless an undeniable option becomes available, running things back makes the most sense.

Still, just because Goff likely isn’t going anywhere doesn’t mean that the Lions should be satisfied with the status quo. General manager Brad Holmes still has a lot of improvements to make after how the season ended, and that includes needing to upgrade the offensive line. Doing so would help give Goff his best chance to succeed next season and extend his stay in the Motor City.

Hopefully, a premature offseason is exactly what Goff needs to refocus and come back better than ever once organized team activities and training camp begin again. If not, and he continues to disappear when Detroit needs him the most, it’s hard to imagine his time with the franchise lasting for much longer.

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