Jared Goff

Just as we all expected at the start of the 2022 NFL season, the league's 2023 offseason could hinge significantly on the fates of Geno Smith and Jared Goff.

Yeah, the NFL never stops making us use the ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ emoji.

See, just a few months ago, preseason mock drafts almost always had the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions picking in the top 10, partly due to the fact that Smith and Goff were their respective quarterbacks. That was especially the case with the Seahawks, who appeared to be entering a post-Russell Wilson bridge year with Smith serving as a placeholder, but the Lions were also widely expected to struggle ahead of a year in which they can save more than $20 million by parting ways with Goff.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of those mock drafts also had at least one but often both of those teams selecting quarterbacks in the top portion of Round 1.

Well, never mind that. In the midst of the home stretch, Seattle and Detroit are both scrapping for playoff positions in the NFC. They entered Week 15 a combined 13-13 with positive scoring margins, in large part due to the fact that Smith and Goff both rank in the top 10 among qualified passers in terms of touchdown throws, yards per attempt, passer rating and QBR.

Smith has completely salvaged a once-nearly-forgotten career, while Goff is playing possibly the best football of his life for an inspiring Lions squad. Both are also certainly earning themselves a lot of money, because the former is scheduled to hit free agency this offseason while the latter is increasing the chances that the Lions hand him the $30.65 million he's owed for 2023 rather than cutting him loose for about a third of that rate.

But it gets even more bizarre than that, because the irony is the Seahawks are still on track to land the second overall pick and the Lions are still in line for the fourth overall selection. That's because Wilson and the Denver Broncos are having such a shockingly miserable year after that trade sent a first-rounder to Seattle, while Matthew Stafford's Los Angeles Rams have experienced a Murphy's Law-level Super Bowl hangover two years after shipping two first-rounders to the Motor City in the Goff-Stafford swap.

It'd be pretty odd if the season ended today, but if that were to happen, the Seahawks would possess the second and 17th overall picks, and the Lions would be on the clock at four and 15.

Now, both teams are left with intriguing decisions to make. If they wind up with premium top-10 picks, do they still take quarterbacks? It's entirely possible these are aberrational seasons for both Smith and Goff, who will both be quite expensive compared to rookies like Bryce Young. C.J. Stroud, Will Levis or Anthony Richardson in the next few years.

An early-offseason decision to go quarterback in the draft and cut bait from either vet could enable either team to spend much more in free agency, increasing their chances of taking a step forward (or at least maintaining status quo) with pro-ready rookies under center.

But on the other hand, a decision not to go signal-caller on April 27 would allow either already-seemingly-playoff-caliber squad to add two more pro-ready non-quarterback weapons each that evening (with the draft capital to move up for practically anybody they want).

Imagine this Seattle team in 2023, with Smith proving 2022 wasn't a fluke and, say, Will Anderson Jr. or Jalen Carter and Christian Gonzalez, Kelee Ringo or Joey Porter Jr. on defense?

Imagine this Detroit team in 2023, with Goff continuing to finally live up to his potential and, say, Anderson or Carter and Gonzalez, Ringo or Porter on defense?

That'd terrify the rest of the conference.

Beyond that, the "quarterback or no quarterback" calls in Detroit and Seattle will have ripple effects throughout the league inside and outside of the draft. Teams that right now could be in the mix for guys like Young, Stroud, Levis or Richardson—the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers, in particular—could decide to instead pursue Goff or Smith if either were to become available in the spring.

In other words, until we have word on where Goff and Smith will reside next season, 2023 mock drafts might be more out to lunch than ever.

But that's what we love about this ¯\_(ツ)_/¯-inducing league, right?

The Detroit Lions don't consider Jared Goff to be a bridge quarterback, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

"As sources have explained, Goff is believed to be their starting QB. Period. Not just until someone else comes along," Rapoport reported.

Goff has impressed in his second season with the Lions after a trade from the Los Angeles Rams. The 28-year-old has 3,022 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 games this year, ranking sixth in the NFL with a 60.5 Total QBR.

After a slow start, the Lions have won four of their last five games with Goff throwing seven touchdown passes and only one interception in this stretch.

Goff's contract becomes more manageable after this season if the Lions wanted to move on from the quarterback. He's owed $52.3 million over the next two years, with just $10 million left in dead cap if he was released in the offseason, per Spotrac.

The Lions would've been left with $41.15 million in dead cap if Goff was released last offseason.

There could also be options to replace Goff in the draft, with the Lions currently holding the No. 4 overall pick from the Rams. They also enter Sunday with the projected No. 15 pick, per Tankathon.

Quarterbacks Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud are both considered top 10 prospects in the 2023 class, per Bleacher Report's Scouting Department, while Anthony Richardson and Will Levis are high-upside options that could be available.

The Lions still seem content to stick with Goff as long as he remains productive.

At 5-7, Detroit has already matched its highest win total in the last four years. The team also has the No. 6 scoring offense in the NFL, with Goff clearly a major part of the success.

It could be enough for the 2016 No. 1 overall draft pick to keep his job heading into 2023 and beyond.

With the playoffs right around the corner, this isn't an ideal time to lose one of your quarterbacks. That's the position some fantasy football managers find themselves in after Lamar Jackson and Jimmy Garoppolo suffered injuries Sunday.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Baltimore Ravens star has a knee sprain, with head coach John Harbaugh asserting Jackson should be back this year.

Garoppolo, on the other hand, is done for the season after breaking his left foot.

It's impossible to find equal value to Jackson on the waiver wire at this point in the season. In superflex leagues, that's true for Jackson and Garoppolo because the pickings are even more slim.

Jared Goff, who's rostered in 50 percent of Yahoo Sports leagues, could be a worthwhile target in standard leagues after shredding the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Detroit Lions' 40-14 victory. He finished 31-of-41 for 340 yards and two touchdowns and has now gone four straight starts without throwing an interception.

The Minnesota Vikings, Detroit's opponent in Week 14, haven't been elite at stopping the pass this year.

Daniel Jones is rostered in 59 percent of Yahoo's leagues, but the New York Giants have the Philadelphia Eagles on tap. The Eagles are allowing the second-fewest passing yards (178.5) per game and rank first in opponent passer rating (73.6).

With Jones in Week 14, you'd have to hope he could pile up some rushing numbers to pad his fantasy output.

The Tennessee Titans play the Jaguars next week, so Ryan Tannehill could be a good streaming option. The Jaguars are giving up 255.5 yards per game through the air and have allowed 19 touchdowns.

Rostered in just 17 percent of Yahoo's leagues, Tannehill could be a target for owners in standard and superflex leagues alike.

If you happen to play in a superflex league, you'll likely be trying to identify the best worst outcome.

Considering how poorly Zach Wilson has performed, Mike White did little to justify losing the starting job after going 31-of-57 for 369 yards and two interceptions in a 27-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. White appears to have the full support of his New York Jets teammates as well.

Should White get the nod for Week 14 against the Buffalo Bills, he's a high-risk, high-reward waiver target. His ceiling is better than that of Tannehill or the Pittsburgh Steelers' Kenny Pickett, who finished 16-of-28 for 197 yards and one touchdown in a 19-16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.