The Lions are entering the 2025 season with plenty of motivation. Following a 15-2 campaign in 2024 that ended in the divisional round against the Commanders, the team was left hungry for a longer run in the playoffs.
With Dan Campbell at the helm, quarterback Jared Goff knows that the Lions are well-positioned to succeed. The Lions QB does not take for granted the dynamic he has with Campbell and his teammates in Detroit.
"Every day I kind of try to pinch myself how lucky I am to play for a coach like him and have the teammates I have and all the other coaches as well and be able to lead a franchise in a city that is starving for a championship," Goff said to Sports Illustrated. "Being able to be the one to try to give that to them is so much fun."
Goff and the Lions have high expectations following what was an eventful offseason for him personally. This year, he enters the Lions' season as a new father, welcoming his daughter Romy with his wife Christen Harper in July.
"The best way to put it is that everything becomes a little bit lighter," Goff said. "You realize there's much bigger things to life, and although it's your main focus and your job and your career, you want to do the best you can. You still know that there's a little girl at home who knows nothing about any of that and is just excited to see when [dad] comes home."
Beyond his family news, Goff's offseason also involved expanding his portfolio. The Lions QB is joining athleticwear brand Vuori as its latest NFL partner, SI can reveal. Goff said was a natural fit.
"'[Vuori]'s been a brand that I've just worn naturally and, to be honest, whether it was working out or at home lounging or playing golf... it was stuff I wore," Goff said. "It was a no-brainer for me to jump on a brand that I love to wear, honestly, and happy to be a part of."
Goff joins a growing roster of athletes partnered with Vuori, including Texas QB Arch Manning, Bears TE Colston Loveland and former LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne. He says he's gotten his Lions teammates on board to wear the gear, as well.
Now, Goff's focus shifts to the Lions' season, which starts against the Packers in Green Bay on Sunday. The game marks the fifth season Goff and Campbell are working together in Detroit, a partnership Goff says he continues to learn from.
"He's such a great leader and learning how he approaches different situations and watching him communicate with the guys, watching him lead me and teach me different things, it's really incredible," Goff said of Campbell. "He's very smart, but his emotional intelligence is off the charts and really, really fun to learn from a coach like that and I'm very thankful for him."
As for which game he is looking forward to most, Goff called out the Lions' Week 1 matchup at Lambeau Field. In a stacked NFC North, Goff knows this game can get the team on the right foot.
It's safe to say that Goff is ready to cap his most fulfilling summer yet, both on and off the field, with a win.
"Not only is it Week 1, but it's a division game," Goff said. "Those road division games are always hard to get. So if we can get that one on a W, it'll mean a lot."
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jared Goff Says He Pinches Himself Getting To Play For Dan Campbell.
