News broke January 30, 2021, that the Detroit Lions had dealt quarterback Mathew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff, two first round picks, and a third round pick.  Lions fans rejoiced as they saw this as a sign for change, and Rams fans are now praying for a deep playoff run and a Super Bowl win that they were oh so close to two years ago.  New Lions GM Brad Holmes made a splash in dealing Stafford to his former team, and there is new hope in Detroit.

The Lions have not won a playoff game since 1992.  In that time they have made the playoffs only three times, become the first NFL team to go 0-16, bungled draft pick after draft pick, and become perennial losers despite promises from ownership of being a competitive team. 

Year after year the Lions have deluded themselves into thinking they have an excellent roster, hiring bad coaches and executives, and convince themselves that they are a competitive team despite having three top ten picks in the last three years. 

But something just seemed different this year after the Lions made good coaching hire after a good coaching hire, bringing in Anthony Lynn as the offensive coordinator, the widely respected Duce Staley is assistant head coach, John Dorsey (who drafted Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes) to assist Brad Holmes, and former NFL quarterback Mark Brunell to be the QB coach.

So, do these changes mean that things have changed for the Lions? Not necessarily.  But there is hope. 

By dealing one of the franchise’s best players, Holmes is making it clear that the Lions are going to commit to a rebuild for the first time in years.  For the next two years the lions have two first round picks, giving plenty of options.  And after Bob Quinn foolishly dealt a sixth round pick for an aging Everson Griffen, Holmes got a third rounder and got us that pick back and more.

This abundance of picks allows Detroit to bring in more young talent and hopefully flush out the old and overpaid players that Bob Quinn signed during his disastrous regime.  The acquisition of Jared Goff gives Detroit a transitional quarterback at minimum until they find the signal caller of the future. Goff can be dumped after a year or two if he fails to impress.  Or maybe, Goff sets the world on fire and we have our quarterback right there.  While the latter is unlikely, the point is that for once the Lions have options. 

If Goff is good keep him.  If not, draft a new quarterback this year or the year after.  The Lions are going into a rebuild with a regime that actually seems to know what they’re doing for once.  So are they still S.O.L. (same old Lions)?  No.  Are the Lions going to be competitive anytime soon? Heck no.  Is there hope? Yes.