Park Allen, Mich. Quarterback Jared Goff made a victory lap around Lambeau Field on Sunday night to shake hands with Detroit Lions supporters who had gathered to celebrate.

Following his team’s 9-0 victory over the Packers on the road in the season’s finale, which saw Detroit win for the first time since 2017, general manager Brad Holmes of the Lions expressed his belief that Goff will be the team’s starting quarterback going forward.

“In this league, I believe it’s much easier to get worse at quarterback than to get better,” Holmes stated on Tuesday at his season-ending news conference. “So, I believe that Jared led a top-3 offence this year and finished in the top ten statistically.

“And again, you know how we approach the draft,” he continued. “If a football player we adore is someone we’re never going to turn down, we’ll make sure every opportunity is given to them. However, I believe Jared has demonstrated to everyone that he is our starting quarterback.”

On Monday, Goff and his teammates cleaned out their lockers after arriving back in Detroit, and he reaffirmed, “I’ve loved my time here.” He stated that the front office hasn’t contacted him about his potential to stay in Detroit, although he did say, “We’ll see.”

“It feels great because I’ve been on the flip side of that to be in a place where you are appreciated,” Goff said. “It feels good. And again, these people here—it’s just a special place and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Goff is signed through 2024, but the Lions will incur $10 million of dead money on their cap if they release him after this season, meaning they could do so without much financial consequence if they wanted to go in another direction.

But Holmes said the team never viewed Goff as a bridge quarterback. While on the Los Angeles Rams staff, Holmes was integral in drafting Goff as the first overall pick in 2016 and stood by him even through the low moments.

“I don’t really know what the decision is,” Holmes said. “I was always confident in him because I’ve been with him from the get-go since he was drafted, back when I was with L.A. I just kind of know how resilient he is and how mentally tough he is. I think a lot of it was me knowing all the success he had in L.A. I think that was kind of forgotten about a little bit when he got here, and I think he was put in a very tough situation.”

Although they fell short on the final day after a late postseason push, the standard in Detroit is now to reach the playoffs, according to Holmes. That hasn’t happened since 2016.

Detroit holds the sixth pick (from the Rams) and the 18th pick in the upcoming draft, where quarterback options are expected to be available.

With Goff as the starter, the Lions climbed out of a 1-6 hole to win eight of their last 10 games.

Goff also went nine straight games without an interception and posted the fifth-longest streak in NFL history with 324 consecutive passes without a pick. In just his second year in Detroit, he set franchise marks for the lowest interception rate (1.2 percent) and the highest touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.14), which prompted coach Dan Campbell to tab him as “our quarterback” after the Packers win.

“He performed admirably. He truly is the ideal fit for our needs and goals,” Campbell remarked on Sunday night in Green Bay. “Someone who can accept coaching, in my opinion, is the real testament to a pro. He can see where he needs to grow by looking in the mirror; he pays attention to advice from others to do better; and he takes action right away. He doesn’t get sensitive or shy away from it. All he wants is to be excellent. Our quarterback is that one.”