The Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff is entering his eleventh NFL season, yet the veteran is hungry for more. After spending a decade in the league, including five in Detroit, the signal-caller still believes he can grow and improve his game heading into the 2026 season, which has earned praise from the head coach, Dan Campbell.
Speaking at the Lions press conference on August 9, the 50-year-old shared his thoughts on the Lions quarterback and his mentality before leading the Lions offense to six consecutive seasons.
“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. And now what I feel is all right, here’s my game. My game. His game’s good. It’s damn good,” Dan Campbell said. “It’s the mentality, the urgency, the leadership, the hey man, let’s go, we cannot accept anything less than the best. Like he wants to be the best in the league, and he wants to run the best offense in the league, and to get there we got to go.”
“Like there, 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,” coach Campbell added. “More command, more leadership, more, and that has to come organically. It can’t be forced on somebody. It can’t. And so that’s great to see out of him.”
Jared Goff Has Quietly Built an Elite Level of Consistency
Since arriving in Detroit, Jared Goff has displayed impressive consistency that a few QBs in the league can match. For the last three consecutive seasons, he has featured in the top three of the total passing yards, ranking second each year.
In the 2023 campaign, he ranked second to Tua Tagovailoa, and the following year, the Lions star was only behind Joe Burrow. In addition, last year, he kept his second spot intact, finishing next to the NFL MVP, Matthew Stafford. Since arriving at the Lions, Goff has posted the second-most total passing yards (21,451 yards), trailing only the Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes (21,787 yards).
GettyDetroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff
Besides throwing for impressive passing yards during his time in the Motor City, he does a great job avoiding interceptions. For example, he threw only 8 interceptions last year on 578 attempts, playing all 17 regular season games. With the impressive tally, he is no longer just looking to maintain his level of play and improve; his big goal will be to lead his team to the ultimate prize heading into the next season, considering the elite offensive players he will be surrounded by in 2026.
While the 31-year-old remains focused on the next season, a major update has emerged regarding his preseason game availability.
Dan Campbell Reveals Jared Goff’s Preseason Status
The Detroit Lions are set to start the 2026 season with their first preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, scheduled on August 13 at Paycor Stadium. On that note, Dan Campbell noted whether the QB1 will be taking the field.
Coach Campbell reportedly insisted that Jared Goff will not be playing against the Bengals this Thursday. Additionally, starters are unlikely to feature in that game. However, some starters could be on the field when the Honolulu Blues take on the Washington Commanders on August 22 in the second preseason game.
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