The Detroit Lions are locked into starting quarterback Jared Goff for the foreseeable future, but the situation isn't as clear for what happens if Goff misses any time in 2025.
Goff signed a four-year, $212 million contract extension in May 2024, attaching him to the team's current core along with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell. He'll be the starter, barring any injury or a sudden, dramatic regression in his on-field play.
The Lions brought back former backup Teddy Bridgewater late last season, who appeared to jump Hendon Hooker on the team's depth chart. However, the futures of both Bridgewater and Hooker on this team aren't set in stone with the draft only a couple of months away.
Let's take a look at potential options for the Lions backup QB situation, including a potential late-draft flyer.
Teddy Bridgewater
Behind Goff, the Lions have typically carried one additional quarterback on the active roster, last year going most of the season with Hendon Hooker as the backup. However, heading into the postseason, the Lions brought back their former backup Teddy Bridgewater, who did enter the team's playoff game when it was believed that Goff might've sustained an injury.
Bridgewater's return on a one-year deal marked the first time he'd played football since announcing his retirement the year prior. He spent that season off coaching his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High School, to a state championship.
Bridgewater has been in the NFL for a decade but has been a full-time backup since 2022.
His familiarity with Dan Campbell and respectability as a backup certainly leave him as a favorite to keep this job if he wants it going forward, but it doesn't feel like a safe bet that he'd return once again.
Hendon Hooker
Hooker spent the majority of the 2024 season as the backup to Goff, but getting jumped in the depth chart by Bridgewater as soon as the team made it to the postseason didn't show a high level of confidence in Hooker's abilities.
The Lions traded up to pick Hooker in the 2023 draft, but injury kept him from getting much practice time until last offseason. Hooker, 27, became the backup to Goff after Bridgewater's retirement and appeared in three blowout games last season, throwing for 62 yards on 6-of-9 passes.
He's under contract through 2026, but the Lions could cut or trade him before June 1 to save $980,089 in cap space this season, or after June 1 to save about $1.2 million with his dead cap hit impacting the payroll in both 2025 and 2026.
Assuming Bridgewater's comeback was a one-and-done scenario, Hooker is the most likely candidate to land this job based on his familiarity with the organization and the price tag that comes with him.
Zach Wilson
New offensive coordinator Jim Morton could be a champion for Zach Wilson after working with him as he backed up Bo Nix in Denver last season. Wilson has plenty of starting experience, though not all of it has been stellar.
However, in an offense as loaded as the Lions have, Wilson wouldn't be a terrible option to have in a pinch. There's a chance he ends up competing for a starting job elsewhere, but if that doesn't work out, the connection with Morton could be enough to bring him to Detroit.
Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota, 31, is becoming the new "Oh, that's where he's at now" backup quarterback after playing for four teams since 2021. The former No. 2 overall pick spent last season backing up Jayden Daniels in Washington.
Mariota is at a point in his career where you're not worried about him taking your starter's job, but it would be interesting to see what kind of creativity could come out of having a player of his talents available on the sidelines on a team that loves to think outside the box.
He signed for $6 million last year in Washington, which may be a little bit steep for what the Lions would want to pay for a backup if that's around what he'd be asking for again this season.
Nick Mullens
Nick Mullens has been floating around the NFC North with the Vikings for the last few seasons and would be an easy fit as a backup for the Lions. Mullens, 29, only threw two passes last season, but the season before that saw significant playing time when Kirk Cousins was injured.
Mullens appeared in five games, throwing for 1,306 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in 2023. He would be another backup option who wouldn't have any push to be a starter anytime but could come cheap for the Lions if they choose to test the market.
Dillon Gabriel
The Lions have a handful of roster needs that are more vital than backup quarterback, but that hasn't necessarily stopped this front office before when they decide they like a player.
Dillon Gabriel is an experienced prospect with 63 games under his belt, more than 18,000 passing yards, and 155 touchdown passes. Despite his small stature for an NFL quarterback, Gabriel showed in college between UCF, Oklahoma, and Oregon that he can process the game at an elite level and adapt well to change.
Gabriel sits somewhere outside of the top 8 quarterbacks in this upcoming draft, projecting him to be available at some point on Day 3. He'd be a cheap option for the next few years if he managed to cement himself as the backup and has the potential to shine if the pieces around him can keep him upright.
