The Detroit Lions have turned a corner in recent seasons, which has justly shined a light on some of their best players and pushed them into award contention.
While the Lions haven't had an MVP frontrunner since the days of Barry Sanders, Jared Goff has entered the discussion for the award. Last season, Goff was in the hypothetical mix up until December when Josh Allen took over and earned the award.
Heading into this season, Goff continues to rack up MVP attention. NFL.com analyst Judy Battista has included him in the mix as a dark horse in 2025.
"He got third-, fourth- and fifth-place votes in 2024. Detroit has a new play-caller in John Morton, who has already said he doesn't plan to change much for one of the most complete, explosive offenses in the game. Still, after the free-agent exit of Kevin Zeitler and the sudden retirement of Frank Ragnow, the team must resettle the interior of the offensive line, which was one of the best units in the league in 2024. If the Lions win like they did last season, Goff will almost certainly again deserve serious consideration."
The question about the offensive line will be the biggest issue hovering over Goff in 2025. Deciding who starts at center and guard and watching their play will impact how Detroit's ground game looks. It will also determine if Goff has enough time to distribute the football. Any trouble there could mean a step backward for the entire offense never mind the quarterback.
Still, potential remains for a big season out of Goff, and that would put him firmly in contention for league MVP honors. Given some of the early rumblings about the offense, Goff should be seen as more than a mere dark horse to claim the award.
Jared Goff encouraged by John Morton's offseason work with Lions
The biggest way Goff remains in the MVP discussion is if the offense stays elite. Detroit has been working Morton into the mix this offseason as the new play caller, and Goff has already been impressed with what he has seen during the OTA period, which is fantastic news.
"I love Johnny (Morton). i've got familiarity with with Johnny. I know some of (the offense) is changing (and) some of it's remaining the same. The biggest challenge is just getting on the same page with what we like and we're just constantly working through that," said Goff recently.
He added, "No different than any other of the new coaches here learning what we like, what we've done (and) getting used to the way Dan (Campbell) wants to play games. We'll be fine, but like I said, Johnny's done a hell of a job up to this point and is only getting better."
Goff has worked with Morton before, so it won't be as big of a challenge to weave his system into what already exists in Detroit. While many contend the Lions will badly miss Ben Johnson, it's possible the status quo remains with game plan and execution. If that's the case, Goff is likely to have another big statistical season while the Lions rack up wins.
Other Lions may have a better case to be dark horses in MVP discussions. Goff remains a solid bet to be in the mix for 2025. That makes him less of a dark horse and more of an actual horse in the race.
