NFL executives, coaches, and scouts have put Jared Goff in a familiar spot: near the top of the quarterback conversation, but still not quite in the elite tier.
ESPN’s latest position rankings, voted on by NFL decision-makers, placed the Detroit Lions quarterback ninth among the league’s top quarterbacks for 2026. That’s one spot lower than last year, though Goff also checked in at ninth in 2024. The group ahead of him was Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, and Drake Maye.
The reaction around Goff was pretty consistent. Evaluators pointed to his mechanics, toughness, and ability to make smart decisions.
One anonymous NFL coordinator told ESPN, “The guy wins,” an anonymous NFL coordinator told ESPN. “He’s going to find a completion if not under pressure.
Mature pocket passer with a plus arm who can layer the ball at all levels.”
Goff’s placement also showed a split in how the league sees him. His best individual ballot came in at fifth, while about 60% of ballots had him in the top 10. That means a little more than 40% of voters did not view him as a top-10 quarterback.
The rest of the NFC North had a mixed showing. Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams cracked the top 10 for the first time, landing in the final spot.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love received only an honorable mention for the second straight year. The Vikings quarterbacks did not draw votes last year after major struggles at the position.
Goff’s numbers help explain why he keeps showing up in these conversations: 393-of-578 passing for 4,564 yards, 34 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 105.5 passer rating, plus 19 carries for 45 yards. Love finished with 291 completions on 439 attempts for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 101.2 passer rating, along with 47 rushes for 199 yards.
Caleb Williams and J.J. McCarthy were also listed in the article.
In Other News...
One Lions Lineman Suddenly Feels Far Less Safe In Camp
Juice Scruggs arrived in Detroit with a chance to carve out a useful role on the interior offensive line, and for much of camp he still looks like the kind of reserve a team wants to keep around. He can help at center and has been part of the conversation at guard, which normally would make him a fairly sturdy piece of the depth chart for a team trying to protect itself over a long season.
But the Lions have built real competition inside, and that is where Scruggs' situation gets tricky. Christian Mahogany, Miles Frazier, Ben Bartch, Giovanni Manu, Colby Sorsdal, Michael Niese and Seth McLaughlin are all in the mix, and when a roster has that much traffic at one spot, even a player with a legitimate backup case can feel the pressure if camp goes sideways. [Read more 🡒]
Ranking The Lions Core With The Best Hall Of Fame Shot
The conversation around the Lions long-term core usually starts with the obvious present-day stars, but the Hall of Fame lens adds a different kind of intrigue. Detroit has built a roster with players who already have the kind of rsum markers that get attention in these debates, from Jahmyr Gibbs early explosiveness to Aidan Hutchinsons pass-rush ceiling, along with Amon-Ra St. Browns early production and Jared Goffs steady climb toward major career benchmarks.
Penei Sewell sits at the center of that discussion, and it is hard to ignore how quickly he has become the kind of foundational piece evaluators use when they start projecting legacy rather than just impact. The bigger question for Detroit is not whether the roster has elite talent, but which of these players can keep stacking seasons, honors and milestones long enough to turn a promising core into something with a real Canton case. [Read more 🡒]