Sudfeld (knee) re-signed with the Lions on Wednesday.
Sudfeld missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in a preseason game against the Panthers. Though Jared Goff's top backup from 2023, Teddy Bridgewater, has since retired, Sudfeld may still find himself as the No. 3 option on the depth chart in 2024 behind Goff and 2023 third-round draft pick Hendon Hooker.
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Lions' Jared Goff: Discussing new deal
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Goff and the Lions have begun negotiations on a contract extension, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.
The same is true for star wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, one of the team's nine regular starters on offense currently under contract with the Lions for 2024. The two exceptions are wide receiver Josh Reynolds, who averaged 3.8 targets per game last year, and right guard Jonah Jackson, who has already been replaced by 2023 Pro Bowler Kevin Zeitler. Even offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is back for another year, after many assumed he'd leave for a head coaching job. Goff has just one season and $27.3 million remaining on a four-year extension he originally signed with the Rams. What was once viewed as an overpay has now become one of the best values among veteran QB contracts, with the 29-year-old coming off consecutive seasons with more than 4,400 passing yards and at least 29 TDs. Goff hasn't quite been as effective for fantasy managers, as he offers next to nothing on the ground and plays in an offense that got 47 rushing TDs from its running backs over the past two seasons.
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Lions' Hendon Hooker: No game reps as rookie
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Hooker did not appear in a game during the 2023 season.
Drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Hooker had a slow start to his professional career while rebounding from a torn ACL from November 2022, when he was a Heisman Trophy candidate at Tennessee. While he did not appear in a game as a rookie, Hooker did serve as the emergency No. 3 quarterback for the final three regular-season games and each of Detroit's playoff contests. With Teddy Bridgewater set to retire this offseason, the path is wide open for Hooker to open the 2024 campaign as Detroit's backup quarterback behind Jared Goff.
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Lions' Jared Goff: Falls short in NFC Championship
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Goff completed 25 of 41 passes for 273 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Sunday's 34-31 loss to the 49ers.
Goff did a solid job of keeping the Detroit offense on schedule in the first half, as the team found the end zone three times. The running game was the primary force behind that success, however, and miscues by players other than Goff primarily led to the unit stalling in the final two quarters. The end result was a mediocre performance for Goff, as he averaged only 6.7 yards per attempt, and his lone touchdown came with just 56 seconds remaining in the game and the Lions down two scores. Despite the disappointing end to the campaign, Goff enjoyed a solid season, as he reached 30 passing touchdowns in the regular season for the first time since 2018 while averaging a solid 7.6 yards per attempt. He remains under contract with Detroit for 2024, though it will be interesting to see if the team offers him a long-term extension during the offseason.
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Lions' Hendon Hooker: Emergency QB for NFC Championship
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Hooker (mouth) is inactive for Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the 49ers but will serve as the emergency third quarterback, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Hooker was added to the Lions' injury report Friday after not participating in practice due to a tooth issue. Like he's done since he was cleared for his first action as a pro Week 16, Hooker is available Sunday if both Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater leave the game and cannot return.
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Lions' Hendon Hooker: Questionable for Sunday
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Hooker (mouth) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the 49ers, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
The rookie out of Tennessee was a late addition to Detroit's injury report, as he popped up as a non-participant in Friday's practice due to a tooth issue. This injury puts Hooker's status for Sunday's NFC Championship Game in jeopardy, but even if he's able to suit up, he'd be in line to serve as the Lions' third-string quarterback behind Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater.
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Lions' Jared Goff: Two TDs in divisional-round win
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Goff completed 30 of 43 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 31-23 divisional-round win over the Buccaneers.
After a tight first half that saw the two teams battle to a 10-10 standstill, Goff got rolling after halftime and led the Lions on three straight TD drives, capping the last one with a nine-yard scoring strike to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Goff has a 12:2 TD:INT over his last six games with a 70.5 percent completion rate and 8.0 YPA, but he'll face a tough test in the NFC Championship Game next weekend on the road in San Francisco.
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Lions' Jared Goff: Posts 121.8 QBR against former team
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Goff completed 22 of 27 pass attempts for 277 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers in Sunday's 24-23 win over the Rams.
The term "revenge game" gets bandied about frequently, but it might be tough to find a stronger example than Goff's performance Sunday against the team that drafted him first overall in 2016. The 29-year-old completed nearly every pass attempt for a 121.8 QB rating en route to a victory over the quarterback (Matthew Stafford) he was traded for back in 2020. Goff has show steady improvement since the trade, which culminated in a win over his former club Sunday and Detroit's first playoff win since 1992. Goff and the Lions will now prepare to host the divisional round of the NFL playoffs next Sunday.
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Lions' Hendon Hooker: Emergency option
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Hooker (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's matchup with the Vikings, but will be available as an emergency option at quarterback.
Hooker will only see the field if both Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater sustain injuries. He has not played in any game this season.
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Lions' Jared Goff: Throws two interceptions in loss
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Goff completed 19 of 34 passes for 271 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the Lions' 20-19 loss to the Cowboys on Saturday.
As his final line implies, Goff had an inconsistent night that saw him hit on some sizable completions but also make his fair share of poor or inaccurate throws. On the bright side, Goff recorded completions of 23, 25 and 63 yards to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams, respectively. He was also able to lead a last-minute drive that culminated in an 11-yard touchdown pass to St. Brown that put the Lions within a point before a go-ahead two-point conversion pass to offensive lineman Taylor Decker was nullified by penalty. On the other hand, Goff's first interception came in Cowboys territory, while the second one unfolded on the Lions' 26-yard line with 2:05 remaining and led to what would prove to be a game-winning field goal for Dallas. Goff did extend his touchdown streak to nine games, but he's now thrown four picks over the last three contests. Goff and the Lions close out the regular season against the Vikings at home Jan. 7.
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Lions' Hendon Hooker: Inactive for Saturday night
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Hooker (coach's decision) is inactive for Saturday night's game against the Cowboys.
Hooked was activated from the NFI list ahead of Week 16 but will be inactive for the second straight week. He's only available as the emergency third quarterback behind Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater.
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Lions' Jared Goff: Secures division title
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Goff completed 30 of 40 pass attempts for 257 yards with one touchdown during Sunday's 30-24 win over the Vikings.
Handling Minnesota's blitz-heavy defense without many problems, Goff completed 75 percent of his passes and could have had a much bigger game had Detroit not pounded in three touchdowns via rushing plays. Nonetheless, Goff has helped Detroit secure a division title for the first time in 30 years and notch the team's first since the division was remapped from the NFC Central to the NFC North in 2002. The Lions now aim to fight for playoff positioning starting with an important Week 17 showdown against Dallas.
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Lions' Hendon Hooker: Serving as No. 3 QB
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Hooker (coach's decision) is inactive ahead of Sunday's game against the Vikings.
The rookie quarterback out of Tennessee was activated from the Lions' reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday, but it still seems as if he's behind both Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater on the team's depth chart. Hooker will serve as Detroit's emergency option at QB in Week 16.
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Lions' Hendon Hooker: Will be available at Minnesota
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The Lions activated Hooker (knee) from their reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday.
Hooker has spent the entire season up to this point on Detroit's reserve/NFI list, but it now looks like he'll finally be available in Week 16. As long as one of Jared Goff or Teddy Bridgewater is available, Hooker still isn't likely to see the field this year.
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Lions' Teddy Bridgewater: Plans to retire after season
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Bridgewater said in an interview with Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press posted Saturday that he plans to retire after the 2023 season.
After joining Detroit on a one-year, $3 million deal this offseason, Bridgewater has seen light usage behind starting quarterback Jared Goff. The 31-year-old's lone appearance of the season came back in Week 5, when he took three snaps at the tail end of a win over Carolina. Barring Goff missing time due to injury over the final three games or getting rested in Week 18 if the Lions' playoff position is solidified, Bridgewater looks as though he may have already seen the last of his extended NFL action. Since entering the league as a first-round pick of the Vikings in 2014, Bridgewater has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 15,120 yards, 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions while adding 844 yards and 11 scores on the ground across 79 career games with Minnesota, New Orleans, Carolina, Denver, Miami and Detroit.
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Lions' Jared Goff: Lights up Broncos for five TDs
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Goff completed 24 of 34 passes for 278 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in Saturday's 42-17 win over the Broncos.
Goff entered the game in something of a slump, as he had multiple turnovers in three of his last four matchups, with the Lions going only 2-2 in that span. Those concerns ended in spectacular fashion, as he matched his career high with five touchdown passes in a game and also didn't turn the ball over. Goff's scores came primarily from short range -- his longest was 19 yards -- but he still completed seven passes of at least 20 yards, good for a season high. While this was an impressive performance, Goff's career has been marked by inefficiency, so there's no guarantee he'll come close to matching this effort in Week 16 against the Vikings.
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Lions' Hendon Hooker: Remains out
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Hooker (knee) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Bears.
Hooker is still on Detroit's reserve/non-football injury list, and he'll remain out through Week 14. Once the 2023 third-round pick returns to the field, he could challenge Teddy Bridgewater for the Lions' backup quarterback role.
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Lions' Jared Goff: Pair of TDs in high-scoring win
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Goff completed 16 of 25 passes for 213 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while netting minus-2 yards on two rush attempts in the Lions' 33-28 win over the Saints on Sunday.
Goff had one of his quieter days in a game that had a somewhat unlikely flow to it, with Detroit seeing a big early lead evaporate and doing very little scoring after a 21-point first quarter. Goff was especially effective in that opening period, hitting Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown for touchdown tosses of 13 and 25 yards, respectively. Goff did extend his streak of games with two touchdowns to four, and he's gone interception-free in three contests over that span heading into a Week 14 road divisional matchup against the Bears.
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Lions' Hendon Hooker: Manages full practice Thursday
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Hooker (knee) was a full participant at practice Thursday.
For the first time in his young NFL career, Hooker finally appears to be near full strength ahead of Week 13. Jared Goff seems to have the starting role under firm control despite cooling off after last season, and Teddy Bridgewater profiles as a capable backup, so it would still be surprising to see Hooker check in at any point this year except possibly to put a bow on a blowout.
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Lions' Hendon Hooker: Cleared to practice
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Detroit designated Hooker (knee) to return from the reserve/non-football injury list Wednesday, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
The rookie quarterback is now eligible to practice, with the Lions having a 21-day window to place him on the active roster before he defaults back to the NFI list for the remainder of the season. Hooker suffered an ACL tear last November during his final collegiate season at Tennessee, which resulted in him dropping out of the first-round discussion before the Lions selected him early in the third round at No. 68 overall. He isn't likely to play this season given that Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater both are healthy, but the Lions are keeping the door open for Hooker to return to the roster if his knee responds well to practice activity.
