The Detroit Lions have lost their backup quarterback to retirement, but their franchise guy believes he’s ‘right in the middle’ of own career.
Jared Goff was drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Rams a decade ago, and has since played half of his NFL career at Ford Field.
Heading into Year 11, he watched as Dan Campbell emotionally announced the retirement of his backup, Teddy Bridgewater.
The veteran signal caller will no doubt be a massive loss in the Lions locker room, having established himself as a mentor to teammates in recent years.
But Bridgewater’s decision to call time on his career hasn’t changed anything for Goff, who is now 31 himself.
When asked if he’s considered retirement ahead of the 2026 season, the signal caller responded: “No, I’m right in the middle of it. No, I haven’t.”
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The Lions QB believes he still has years ahead of him, and he’ll only walk away when he is no longer able to help his team ‘win a championship.’
“I think that’s going to be a long time,” Goff added.
With Goff under center, the Lions are in good hands despite a 9-8 finish in 2025 that saw the team miss out on the playoffs.
The aim this time around will be to get back to the postseason, and Detroit will want to go one better than they did in 2023, when they were narrowly beaten in the NFC Championship Game.
Jared Goff wants to be ‘best’ in NFL this season
A Super Bowl run isn’t out of the question, and Coach Campbell believes Goff is ready to lead his team to glory alongside the league’s highest-paid running back.
Speaking at training camp, he explained how his quarterback has grown over the last 12 months, and revealed that he wants to be the best in the league.
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“I think the biggest thing for Goff is he’s taken his game to such a level right now that I feel like he’s in this, man. He’s up there,” Campbell said.
“And now what I feel is, all right, here’s my game. My game, his game’s good. It’s damn good. It’s the mentality, the urgency, the leadership. The, ‘Hey man, let’s go. We cannot accept anything less than the best.’
“He wants to be the best in the league, and he wants to run the best offense in the league.”
Campbell added that he’s ready to help Goff achieve his goal, with the ‘urgency’ cranked up for 2026.
He explained: “To get there, we’ve got to go, we don’t have time.
“That’s where I really feel him growing. And every year I felt more of an urgency out of him in that regard, more command, more leadership and that has to come organically.
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“It can’t be forced on somebody, it can’t. And so that’s great to see out of him.”
The Lions might have lost a locker room leader in Bridgewater, but their starter is fully locked in for 2026, and has the MVP award and Super Bowl glory in his sights.
