Many commentators have suggested that quarterback Jared Goff performed well enough over the last season and a half to merit a substantial new contract deal from the Detroit Lions. Tim Weaver of Seahawks Wire did not necessarily disagree, but he did believe that the Lions should target Michael Penix Jr. as Goff’s successor.
In his most recent 2024 NFL mock draft, Weaver predicted that the Lions would select Penix at number 29 overall.
“After his performance at the combine, it seems unlikely Michael Penix will last until Day 2 now,” Weaver wrote in a blog post. “Detroit pulls the trigger at this point, eventually providing them a replacement to Jared Goff. Penix being involved in Ben Johnson’s offense might be something exceptional.”
Penix’s performance at the Washington Huskies pro day was surely memorable. Scouts measured Penix’s 40-yard sprint time at less than 4.6 seconds, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. He also demonstrated his arm strength by tossing the ball around 75 yards in the air for a completion.
According to Derrik Klassen of Bleacher Report, Penix would appeal to any club that wants to strike frequently down the field and use a lot of play action.
“His live arm, aggressiveness and moments of progression passing give him a shot to stick in the NFL,” Klassen stated in an email.
Could the Lions pursue quarterback Michael Penix Jr.?
If Klassen’s claim is right, the Lions could be interested in Penix.
According to Doug Farrar and Greg Cosell of Yahoo Sports, Goff used play-action from under center on 135 dropbacks during the 2023 regular season. This was by far the most in the NFL.
It contributed significantly to Detroit’s offensive performance in 2023. Goff averaged 116.1 passer rating on play-action dropbacks.
Goff was not among the top quarterbacks in terms of deep passes (30 or 40 yards). However, he ranked second among all signal callers with 69 attempts that traveled at least 20 yards.
With that in mind, Penix appears to be an excellent match in Ben Johnson’s scheme.
“The Huskies’ offensive design helped declutter coverages for Penix, allowing him to throw a higher number of intermediate and deep passes,” according to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. “Penix has plenty of arm but needs to work with more consistent timing between the numbers to eliminate unnecessary contested throws.”
However, it would be extremely unusual if the Lions pursued Penix in the NFL draft.
Goff just had one of the finest seasons of his career, and he won’t be 30 until October. Last season, the Lions drafted Hendon Hooker in the third round. Drafting Penix would indicate that the Lions have given up on Hooker as a potential future starter or trustworthy backup after just one year.
Hooker might not even be on the Detroit Lions’ roster in 2024 if Penix is selected. On March 27, the Lions signed veteran quarterback Nate Sudfeld to a one-year contract. This gives them three current quarterbacks.
Penix informed ESPN on March 28 that he has booked pre-draft visits with five organizations. The Lions are not among them.
Is Jared Goff’s extension still on the way?
On March 8, Jared Ramsey of the Detroit Free Press reported that the Lions might sign Goff to a long-term agreement “any day now.” It still has not happened. However, the expectation that it will occur has not changed significantly.
“The first thing that people may think is that the two parties aren’t reaching an agreement on terms,” wrote AtoZ Sports’ Mike Payton. “Maybe they’re far apart on them; perhaps the Lions aren’t as committed to Goff as we believed. Perhaps they’ll wait till next year.
“I don’t believe any of it is happening right now. The rationale is because experience shows that both the Lions and Goff’s agent tend to complete these tasks later rather than sooner.”
Payton cited the team’s contract extension with center Frank Ragnow as one recent example. Ragnow and the Lions did not reach an agreement on his new contract until May 2021, during the offseason.
If the Lions actually aim to make Goff one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league (and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise), it appears unlikely that they will target Penix in the first round.
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