Goff Starts 2026 Season Just Outside NFL.com’s Top 10 Quarterbacks

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff will enter his sixth season with the franchise ranked 11th overall among starting quarterbacks, according to NFL.com’s preseason tier rankings from writer Nick Shook. The placement leaves the veteran one spot short of the top 10 despite a 2025 campaign in which he finished second in the league in both passing yards and passing touchdowns.

Goff appeared in all 17 games last season, completing 68.0% of his throws for 4,564 yards with 34 touchdowns against eight interceptions, per ESPN, the sports network owned by The Walt Disney Company. Still, the numbers did not sway NFL.com’s evaluators when sorting the league’s 32 starters into tiers ahead of Week 1.

How the Tiers Shook Out

The top tier includes just four quarterbacks: Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, Patrick Mahomes and Drake Maye. Goff headlines the second tier at No. 11, joined by six passers ranked ahead of him — Dak Prescott (No. 5), Joe Burrow (No. 6), Justin Herbert (No. 7), Lamar Jackson (No. 8), Caleb Williams (No. 9) and Sam Darnold (No. 10). Only Trevor Lawrence of Jacksonville (No. 12) and Jordan Love of Green Bay (No. 13) trail him within the tier.

Shook noted that Goff and the Lions “have plenty to prove after missing the playoffs last season,” while flagging the offensive line as a potential concern if it does not improve collectively in 2026.

Postseason Drought Colors the Ranking

Detroit went 9-8 in 2025, finishing fourth in the NFC North and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2022. The ranking reflects that team-level disappointment as much as Goff’s individual production — a dynamic the quarterback can begin to address immediately.

The Lions open the season at Ford Field against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, with a chance to return to the postseason for the third time in four years.

What to watch

• Goff’s performance in Sunday’s Week 1 matchup against the Saints at Ford Field.
• Whether Detroit’s offensive line play improves, a point Shook singled out in his ranking.
• The Lions’ standing in the NFC North race and their push to end the playoff drought.
• Updated quarterback tier rankings from NFL.com as the 2026 season progresses.

Source: original release