Lions GM not worried about Jared Goff in post-Ben Johnson era

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw for a career-best 37 touchdowns this season under the watchful eye of then-offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes doesn't expect the good times to come to an end for Goff now that Johnson has moved on to become the head coach of the NFC North-rival Chicago Bears.

"Obviously, he was very productive with Ben as a coordinator but he had a lot of prior success before he even got here as well in a completely different system," Holmes said on Thursday. "I think he's a better quarterback, a more mature quarterback now than he was then when he had early success. I don't foresee that. I think the guy's in his prime. He's gotten better and better every year. And when I say prime, I think, like, just entering it because he keeps ascending.

"I think every single year we've been here, the next year ... the levels keep improving. Again, I have a lot of faith in Dan (Campbell, head coach) and I know that he'll make sure Jared is in a good position."

Goff, 30, was named a finalist for the Associated Press 2024 NFL Most Valuable Player award on Thursday after completing a career-high 72.4 percent of his passes for 4,629 yards this season.

He joined fellow quarterbacks Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) and Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals) as well as Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley as finalists for the award.

Under Johnson, Detroit boasted the NFL's No. 1 scoring offense this season (33.2 points per game) and finished second in total offense (409.5 yards per game). The Lions' points (564) and regular-season wins (15) this season were franchise records.

Goff, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, is a four-time Pro Bowl selection with 35,058 passing yards and 222 touchdowns in 134 starts with the Los Angeles Rams (2016-20) and Lions.

--Field Level Media