Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff is entering Year 10 in the NFL. He has been through and seen a lot over the last decade. This offseason he gets to learn a new offensive coordinator as John Morton takes over for Ben Johnson, who is now Chicago's new head coach.
There is a level of excitement that always comes with learning something new, even for a seasoned veteran like Goff. What do we both like? How do we see these pieces fitting together? How can we be even more explosive than last year?
"It's fun. It's a challenge," Goff said Friday. "It's new stuff. It's new communication. It's different ways he likes to do things and learning each other. It's a fun challenge. It's something we're working through every day and something that's fun to overcome and get closer to where we want to be."
Morton, who Goff worked closely with back in 2022 when he was the pass game coordinator on Dan Campbell's staff, said this offseason he doesn't plan to change a lot offensively.
"I'm not changing much," he said. "I mean, why?"
Goff said Friday it's always natural for some parts of the offense to change a little bit as Morton implements some of the things he believes in.
"I'm sure the casual fan will notice some of (the changes)," Goff said. "Some of it is different. Some of it is the same. He's got a long background of stuff he's liked that he's done, and he was here for a year through a lot of our success. There will be a lot of that carryover and some new. He has his flavor on the offense and has been doing a good job."
Goff made the point the same would have been true had Johnson returned as offensive coordinator. Teams always add wrinkles and remove things they didn't necessarily do well year over year, and it's important to keep evolving.
All the main components that made Detroit the top scoring offense in the NFL last year are back with Goff leading the way. He was second in the NFL last season in yards (4,629), second in completion percentage (72.4), second in passer rating (111.8) and fourth in touchdowns (37).
He said his focus this offseason was on some of the nuanced stuff he thinks can make him better - Footwork, how he wants to throw certain balls and where he wants his eyes and shoulders to be.
View photos from Day 3 of Detroit Lions OTA practice on Friday, May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich.
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (97) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) and Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick (12) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) and Detroit Lions safety Dan Jackson (28) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond (11) and Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Dominic Lovett (19) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick (12) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Ronnie Bell (10) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Brock Wright (89) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond (11) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Myles Adams (66) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick (12) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad (96) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator John Morton during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell (58) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tackle Taylor Decker (68) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator John Morton during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Giovanni Manu (59) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Dominic Lovett (19) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker (2) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein (61) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein (61) during OTAs at the Meijer Performance Center on May 30, 2025 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Mostly though, this offseason has been about getting on the same page with Morton so they can hit the ground running come the start of training camp as they try to find ways to become an ever better offense in 2025.
"I think he and Johnny are going to work well together, they have worked well together," head coach Dan Campbell said. "They've been working this offseason together, tweaking things, making sure that both were comfortable with what we were doing, and everything we do is always going to start with the quarterback, especially Goff, so, he's going to be fine."
