Sports
Detroit Lions Jared Goff Addresses “Bridge Quarterback” Description
Every quarterback aspires to have the title of “franchise quarterback.” After the 2018 season when Jared Goff led the Rams to the Super Bowl, he thought he had achieved franchise status. But following two subpar years, the Rams moved on from Jared Goff, trading him to the Lions.
It was then that Jared Goff was described as a “bridge quarterback,” someone who would just fill the void until the Lions found someone better.
However, Jared Goff has a chance to change that in 2023. A year ago, Jared Goff put together his best season since 2018, nearly leading the Lions to the playoffs. Heading into the 2023 NFL season, the Lions are actually favorites to win the NFC North.
With sports betting being legal and increasingly popular in Michigan, there is a lot of NFL betting in Michigan before the season backing the Lions to win the NFC North and reach the playoffs in 2023. If that happens, it’s safe to say that Jared Goff won’t be a “bridge quarterback” anymore.
Jared Goff’s 2022 Season
During training camp, Jared Goff had a chance to specifically address the “bridge” label. “I think there’s a lot of members of our media that have an easy time writing bad things. And they have for quite some time,” Jared Goff said on a podcast.
“And when we were 1-6, they were laying it on pretty thick. And then we kind of flipped the script, and it was almost like they ran out of things to write because they weren’t used to putting positive news out there. I guess I don’t know how else to frame it. And yeah, it maybe took a little gas out of their tank — and it’s been fun.”
Of course, Jared Goff has to find a way to follow up an excellent 2022 season with a 2023 campaign that’s just as good, if not better. The caveat is that Goff has once again raised the bar for himself. He also has to help the Lions live up to their preseason expectations as NFC North favorites and a team that’s expected to reach the postseason. Fortunately, Goff appears to have a strong supporting cast around him and the support of the organization.
“I never really deemed him as a bridge. I think everybody else did,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said after the 2022 season. That statement indicates that the Lions will give Goff a fair opportunity to become Detroit’s franchise quarterback. Goff just has to seize the opportunity ahead of him in 2023.
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