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Lions QB Jared Goff 'intentional' in building chemistry with Cade Mays

Allen Park — For the first time in his career, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff will be working with a new starting center in three consecutive seasons.

Goff, entering his 11th year in the NFL, has managed transitions at the position before — Tim Barnes (2016), John Sullivan (2017-18), Austin Blythe (2019-20), Frank Ragnow (2021-24) and Graham Glasgow (2025) have all began seasons as the quarterback's primary snapper — but continuity has especially lacked since Ragnow's sudden retirement in June 2025.

The Lions hope to have found their long-term answer with Cade Mays, a former standout with the Carolina Panthers who signed a three-year deal worth $25 million in March. Mays, at least on paper, still has plenty of room to grow, having made only 20 career starts at center, including 12 in 2025.

Fostering an enviornment for chemistry to build between himself and Mays is near the top of Goff's priority list this offseason.

"We haven't had much time yet, but we will," Goff said last week, when asked if he's had the opportunity to spend much time with Mays off the field. "We'll do some dinners with the O-line and whatnot. I intend to be intentional about building that relationship with him."

Mays described the center-quarterback relationship as "very important," in that "we've just got to be on the same page (and) communicate the same." He's been relying on Goff to assist in his understanding of Detroit's offense, which Goff has captained since 2021.

"It's a new offense for me," Mays said. "(Goff)'s been a part of it a long time, so just leaning on him, asking him questions, what he sees, what he's looking for, and seeing it through his lens."

Mays was selected in the sixth round of the draft in 2022. He played his most snaps last season (793) and allowed 13 pressures across 476 reps as a pass protector, according to Pro Football Focus. He hasn't been credited with giving up a sack since Week 17 of the 2023 season.

Though he didn't grade out well as a run blocker — Mays' 58.4 mark from PFF ranked 28th out of 33 qualified centers (minimum 200 snaps) — Lions coach Dan Campbell explained earlier this offseason how the Lions don't feel "restricted" in the run game with Mays because "we do feel like we can do the pin and pulls, the wide zones, the gaps with him, we think he’s got enough versatility and all that."

Whether Mays has what it takes to pull together Detroit's formerly vaunted offensive line will be determined on the field this fall. In the meantime, he'll be working closely with Goff, soaking up information from the veteran to best see the game from his perspective.

"In the NFL, I don't know if there's ever that point," Mays said, when asked when he'd feel 100% confidence in his alignment with Goff. "There's new looks every week, so you just keep growing. But I feel like we've done a great job this week. Jared's been awesome with helping me with the questions I have and the looks (we're getting from the defense), so it's been great."

rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff being 'intentional' with new C Cade Mays

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