Lions open the door to be a little more aggressive in free agency with Jared Goff restructure

The Lions now have their money for free agency

Mike Payton Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) cheer on as he exits the field after 52-21 win over Chicago Bears during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There it is. The Detroit Lions have made the move that everyone has been talking about. They’ve restructured Jared Goff’s contract. Let’s talk about it.

The details of Jared Goff’s contract restructure

The Lions chose to go with a simple restructure and just add one void year. This was the cleaner way to do it. It extends Goff’s cap hits out to 2030. It also gives the Lions an escape route out of the deal after the 2028 season if Goff regresses.

The Lions can now use this money to get their free agency haul and still leave some left over for draft picks and in-season transactions. It’s not the most money in the world, but it does open the door for the Lions to be selectively aggressive. They can go get their next edge rusher and add some depth pieces on the defensive side of the ball. If you were hoping for giant swings, they’ll have to do a little more.

And the Lions may not be done yet. They could still open up about $52 million more if they restructure Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, and Alim McNeill. If I had to guess, they probably go the St. Brown route, but we’ll see.