After being let go by the Los Angeles Rams and coach Sean McVay, Jared Goff has rejuvenated his career in Detroit. It’s not a coincidence that he started to perform well towards the end of his first season as a Lion in 2021, coinciding with Ben Johnson’s appointment as passing game coordinator.
Johnson was subsequently elevated to offensive coordinator in 2022, and his greatest achievement was allowing Goff to have ownership and influence over the offense. What an innovative idea, to design an offense based on your quarterback’s strengths, instead of forcing him into your preferred style and abandoning him when he struggles.
Although he provides minimal contributions as a runner, despite scoring two rushing touchdowns in 2023, Goff has ranked as a top-10 fantasy quarterback for the past three seasons under Johnson’s play-calling. He ranked QB10 in 2022, QB7 in 2023, and achieved a career-high QB6 in 2024.
Currently, Johnson serves as the head coach of the Chicago Bears.
The Lions achieved a level of continuity with their external offensive coordinator appointment of John Morton. Morton was part of the coaching team in Detroit in 2022, prior to teaming up with Dan Campbell’s mentor Sean Payton as the passing game coordinator for the Denver Broncos over the past two seasons.
Campbell emphasized that Goff’s opinion would be taken into account regarding Johnson’s successor, so it’s reasonable to conclude Morton wouldn’t have been chosen if Goff wasn’t completely supportive.
Jared Goff on anticipated fantasy football rankings due to offensive coordinator shift.
Managing Goff in fantasy football can be difficult, yet those who select him understand what they’re signing up for. He might produce a flop when you believe it’s a successful week, and the opposite can also happen. As he looks ahead to 2025, he will retain all the skill position talent he has enjoyed, and the offensive line will remain strong despite any possible changes.
However, a decline is occurring for the Lions’ quarterback, and it must not be overlooked. Losing Johnson will have significant effects.
In his analysis of fantasy football winners and losers from the 2025 NFL coaching cycle, Alex Kay of Bleacher Report identified Goff as the top loser (assuming a ranked order).
“Goff the best performances of his career under Johnson. The veteran signal-caller finished as fantasy’s QB10 or better in all three seasons the pair worked together, including in 2024 when Goff posted a career-best QB6 finish.”
“With former Denver Broncos assistant John Morton taking over Johnson’s vacated role, Goff and his supporting cast have far less upside. Morton struggled in his last offensive coordinator position, a stint with the New York Jets in 2017 that saw Gang Green finish with the No. 28 total offense.”
“Although Morton has a more talented squad to work with this time, the Lions are in line for an offensive regression without Johnson calling the shots.”
It’s a stretch to consider Morton’s time as the Jets offensive coordinator in 2017 a drawback against him, taking into account the resources he had and the performances he elicited from various players in that group. Let alone it happened eight years ago.
With that in mind, there will be inquiries regarding Goff’s fantasy potential more so than any other Lions’ player until we observe Morton’s interpretation of the offense. And we won’t witness it until the first week of the regular season. We’re pretty much in the same position we usually find ourselves with Goff in fantasy. In other words, create another solid choice or simply skip selecting him entirely.