Jared Goff

Latest On Extensions For Rams’ Jared Goff, Sean McVay

June 16th, 2019 at 12:27pm CST by Rory Parks

We heard earlier this month that the Rams are eyeing a 2020 extension for quarterback Jared Goff, who is entering his fourth year in the league. Goff has thrived under the tutelage of head coach Sean McVay, who recently threw his full support behind his signal-caller, and it seems like only a matter of time before Goff lands a nine-figure contract.

So, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk asks, why wait? Goff, a two-time Pro Bowler who led his team to the Super Bowl last season, is not going to get any less expensive, especially since his draft mate, Carson Wentz, just signed a four-year, $128MM pact despite suffering significant injuries in each of the past two seasons. Florio observes that Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are other young QBs eligible for a second contract that have not yet gotten one, but neither player has accomplished as much as Goff (plus, both of them are making over $20MM this year under their fifth-year options). Like Goff and Wentz, Dak Prescott was a 2016 draft choice, but at least he and the Cowboys are talking.

As Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times writes, GM Les Snead and Goff’s representation have been in touch, but they have only had preliminary discussions about a possible timeline for future talks. In other words, the two sides are talking about when they’re going to talk. Snead said, “Nothing heavy. No heavy lifting.”

Rams officials have indicated they could get a deal done with Goff prior to the 2019 campaign, but considering where the parties are in contract talks, the 2020 timeframe seems more plausible at this point. Like McVay, though, Snead said he is fully committed to Goff.

McVay himself could get an extension soon, and a report back in January suggested that could happen this offseason, but it sounds like those talks have not commenced. When asked whether the club was pursuing an extension for McVay, COO Kevin Demoff indicated he was focused on extending certain key players first.

Both Demoff and Snead declined to comment on Snead’s contract situation, but if things continue on their current trajectory, the Snead-McVay-Goff trifecta could be in LA for the long haul.

Sean McVay Fully Commits To Jared Goff

June 13th, 2019 at 5:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Rams quarterback Jared Goff still has two years left on his rookie deal, but there’s already been at least some speculation that Los Angeles could move on from its signal-caller at the end of his contract rather than venture into $30MM+ per year territory. But speaking to Mike Silver of NFL.com, Rams head coach Sean McVay fully threw his weight behind Goff as LA’s long-term starter.

“Whether it ends up happening this year or next year, there is a zero percent chance this guy’s not gonna get an extension he’s worthy of,” said McVay. “All the narratives out there are wrong. Jared and I couldn’t be more connected, and I couldn’t be more appreciative of him as our leader. He is so vital and important to us and our success. That extension will get done. It’s a matter of when, not if.”

Goff, 24, is coming off a stellar campaign in which he threw for 4,688 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while earning a Pro Bowl nod and a trip to the Super Bowl. However, the idea of letting Goff walk in free agency — or trading him before his contract expires — has at least come up as a topic of conversation, with the reasoning that the former No. 1 overall pick is simply a by-product of McVay’s offensive system. Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com examined the possibility of a club trading its starting quarterback (and specifically used Goff as an example) in a September 2018 piece.

The most obvious comparison for a Goff extension would be the four-year, $128MM deal Carson Wentz signed with the Eagles last week. But the Rams don’t seem to be interested in giving Goff a new deal immediately, as team COO Kevin Demoff recently indicated Los Angeles will likely wait until next offseason to work on a Goff pact.

“I don’t want this to sound hollow, but I don’t think (the Wentz extension) affects our conversations that much,” Demoff said. “It’s been reported for a few months that the Eagles and Carson were talking about a contract. We were well aware of that, and they seem to be on a different timetable. I think people mistake timeline and getting deals done with multiple years left for commitment.”

Goff is set to count for roughly $8.889MM in 2019 before his salary balloons to $22.783MM in 2020, courtesy of his fifth-year option.

Rams Eyeing 2020 Jared Goff Extension?

June 7th, 2019 at 9:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

The only player picked ahead of Carson Wentz in the 2016 draft will naturally shift to the forefront now that the Eagles and Wentz finalized their extension agreement. If the Rams are on the clock, they might be there for a while.

When asked Friday on a Jared Goff timetable, Rams COO Kevin Demoff said (video link via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com) said the team’s goal on this front will be to assess this situation during the 2020 offseason. Two years remain on the 24-year-old passer’s deal.

“I don’t want this to sound hollow, but I don’t think (the Wentz extension) affects our conversations that much,” Demoff said, via Thiry. “It’s been reported for a few months that the Eagles and Carson were talking about a contract. We were well aware of that, and they seem to be on a different timetable. I think people mistake timeline and getting deals done with multiple years left for commitment.

“This franchise is committed to Jared Goff. Your love for a player and how badly you want him doesn’t always come down to when they sign.”

Sean McVay also said recently (via Thiry) he is confident Goff will be the Rams’ quarterback for a “very long time,” despite the former No. 1 overall pick arriving during Jeff Fisher‘s final season. But the Rams’ recent run of re-ups — chief among them deals for Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks — will make a 2019 Goff accord more difficult. Additionally, the Rams have Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, Dante Fowler and Andrew Whitworth in contract years. Their cap space spikes from $6MM-plus to $54MM-plus (projected) between now and the 2020 offseason.

“I think the numbers would be tough, quite frankly,” Demoff said regarding a Goff extension being completed before this season.

Wentz’s deal included a $32MM new-money average and $66MM in full guarantees — fourth and fifth among quarterbacks, respectively. Goff has not been a late-season MVP candidate like Wentz was in 2017, but he is two years younger, coming off two Pro Bowls and has no significant injury history. This moving into the 2020 offseason would stand to point to Goff eclipsing Wentz’s numbers.

NFC West Notes: Goff, Seahawks, 49ers

May 24th, 2019 at 5:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Eagles and Carson Wentz are negotiating an extension that is expected to be finalized before the season, the Rams and Jared Goff have not made similar progress. It is not clear if they have begun re-up talks. But the notion the team is toying with the idea of using the two-time Pro Bowler during his rookie deal and moving in is not rooted in reality, Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic notes (subscription required). The Rams are committed to building a roster around a franchise-level Goff contract, per Bonsignore. Goff stands to make more than $20MM in 2020 on his fifth-year option but is tethered to merely an $8.89MM cap number this season. Sean McVay has not said if the Rams plan to extend Goff this year, mentioning the possibility of a deal being tabled until 2020.

Shifting to another quarterback’s contract, here is the latest from the NFC West:

Geno Smith landed with a fourth team in four years recently, linking up with the Seahawks. His one-year deal is for the minimum salary, according to Brady Henderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). He’ll receive just $25K guaranteed on the $895K deal as he competes with Paxton Lynch to serve as Russell Wilson‘s backup. Lynch is making $645K this year. Neither is a lock to be on Seattle’s roster when the regular season begins. Despite these two high picks’ struggles as NFLers, each profiles as a bigger name than the Seahawks have employed behind Russell Wilson over the past two seasons.
More Seahawks details: Al Woods‘ deal points to the veteran defensive tackle having a slightly better chance to make the 53-man roster. But the 10th-year lineman’s pact is worth slightly less than originally reported, as is often the case. Woods can earn up to $2.25MM, but the base value of this pact is $1.25MM, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. A five-team veteran who played two games with 2011 Seahawks, Woods received $400K guaranteed. The deal will count $2.215MM against Seattle’s cap. This deal is similar to those given to Tom Johnson and Shamar Stephen last year. Both made the team, though Johnson was cut midway through the season.
Ahkello Witherspoon‘s 2018 season did not go well. The young cornerback graded as, by far, the worst full-time corner in the view of Pro Football Focus. But the 49ers signing Jason Verrett does not mean he will be the starter. Witherspoon will still be the man to beat at right cornerback, Matt Barrows of The Athletic writes (subscription required). Verrett is unlikely to be ready to go until training camp, Barrows adds.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Rams Exercise Jared Goff’s Option

April 23rd, 2019 at 4:55pm CST by Rory Parks

The Rams have exercised Jared Goff‘s fifth-year option, according to a team announcement. With that move, the quarterback is now under contract through the 2020 season.

Some of this year’s fifth-year option calls may be tricky, but this one goes in the no-brainer category. After a rough start to his professional career, Goff has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of the past two years under the tutelage of head coach Sean McVay. He of course led the Rams to an NFC Championship and a Super Bowl appearance in 2018, and his stat line from last season — 32 TDs against 12 interceptions, a 64.9% completion percentage, and a 101.1 QB rating — indicate that he will be the club’s signal-caller for a long time.

Los Angeles has not yet broached a re-up with Goff, but given that he is now under club control through 2020, there’s not a ton of urgency on that front just yet. When asked about an extension recently, Goff said, “Not on my mind at all. I know the deal and understand that I hired an agent for that reason, and things always work out. You continue to play well, it will work itself out.”

Goff will earn a little over $4.2MM this year, and the fifth-year option will pay him $22.783MM in 2020 if the two sides do not work out a long-term deal before then. His 2020 salary is guaranteed for injury only, but McVay indicated recently he is pleased with Goff’s career track, despite Goff’s shaky Super Bowl outing, so it is hard to imagine Goff and the Rams parting ways anytime soon.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Rams To Pick Up Jared Goff’s Fifth-Year Option

April 20th, 2019 at 2:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of a few 2016 first-round picks with fairly open-and-shut fifth-year option decisions, Jared Goff will soon see his rookie contract extended to 2020.

The Rams plan to pick up their two-time Pro Bowl quarterback’s fifth-year option, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times writes. This will tie Goff to a $22.783MM 2020 salary.

Goff became extension-eligible this year, joining 2016 No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz in that regard. While the Eagles are hoping to extend Wentz this year, the Rams have not discussed a Goff re-up yet. Both teams have plenty of high-priced veterans, though the Rams have higher-profile deals on their payroll due to their 2018 extensions for Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks.

“Not on my mind at all,” Goff said, via Klein, of an extension. “I know the deal and understand that I hired an agent for that reason, and things always work out. You continue to play well, it will work itself out.”

It is possible the Rams ($5.4MM in cap space) could table Goff’s extension until after the 2019 season, but after ’19, Patrick Mahomes becomes eligible for a new deal. His next contract will raise the bar higher than Russell Wilson‘s did. While Goff has not accomplished what Mahomes has, from an individual perspective, he does have two Pro Bowl seasons and is only going into his age-25 campaign.

The 2016 No. 1 overall pick set new benchmarks with 4,688 passing yards and 32 touchdown throws last season, the yardage a near-1,000-yard spike from his 2017 figure. Sean McVay indicated recently he is pleased with Goff’s career track, despite the Los Angeles starter’s shaky Super Bowl outing.

Extra Points: Goff, Rams, AAF, Ryan, CFL

April 14th, 2019 at 7:51pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride for Jared Goff these past few years. The first overall pick back in 2016, a lot of people wrote him off as a bust after his disastrous rookie season. But Goff came alive once he was paired with head coach Sean McVay, and has now made the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons. This past season, the Rams made it all the way to the Super Bowl but Goff had a terrible performance in the big game. There’s been a lot of debate the past couple of years about how much of Goff’s improvement was due to his own natural development versus how much of it was due to McVay’s coaching.

As such, there have been some rumors that the Rams aren’t completely sold on Goff as the longterm answer. McVay openly stating last month that the team wasn’t in any rush to extend Goff did nothing to quiet those rumors. But during a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen show, McVay pushed back on that perception, saying Goff doesn’t have to prove he’s “the man.” “I think he’s already the man. I think he’s had a lot of moments,” McVay said. “His teammates believe in him, his coaches believe in him. I think it’s just continuing to do what you do at a higher level. It’s ‘can I continue to make great decisions? Can I continue to make throws with accuracy and anticipation?’ I think the thing that was great about him really from the first year we were together to last year is the ownership. We talk about the quarterback being an extension of the coaching staff and I think he did that.”

McVay made it clear he’s happy with Goff’s progression, and tried to extinguish any talk about the team potentially moving on down the line. It would be a major surprise if anything other than Goff getting a huge extension happens.

Here’s more from around the football universe:

We have some more fallout from the demise of the AAF. Daryl Johnston, the former Cowboys fullback and commentator, was the general manage of the San Antonio Commanders, and now he’s dishing on what went down. Johnston said during a recent appearance on ESPN Radio that he and others were “misled” by the league’s founders about the financial stability of the startup, per Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com. “There were several people who took jobs with the Alliance because they were told they had two years, and they’re in a very difficult spot now at this stage. This was something that caught me totally by surprise,” Johnston said. Johnston also said there are multiple San Antonio businesses who have so far been stiffed on payments they’re owed, and that Bill Polian called him out of the blue on the day the league ceased operations and told him to immediately shutdown practice.
As much as Johnston might want to put the chapter behind him, it might not be that simple for him. In a follow-up to that piece, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes that Johnston could now become a “key witness” in the multiple lawsuits that have been filed against the league. Florio writes that Johnston’s comments seemed to confirm the crux of the lawsuits, that the league’s founders lied about their financial standing. This surely isn’t the last we’ve heard of this process.
Free agent punter Jon Ryan might be getting back into professional football, but not in the NFL. The Seahawks’ punter for ten years from 2008-2017, Ryan had a workout with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL this past week, according to Rod Pedersen, the team’s announcer (Twitter link). Ryan was released by Seattle last August and signed with the Bills, but couldn’t crack Buffalo’s roster.

Rams Yet To Discuss Jared Goff Extension

March 26th, 2019 at 5:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Having played three seasons, Jared Goff is now extension-eligible. But the Rams’ payroll, after a busy 2018, includes a few top-market contracts — a payroll option aided by Goff still being tied to his rookie deal.

It can be expected for the Rams to sign Goff long-term, but at the moment, the franchise has not seriously discussed this. They have not ruled out a 2019 extension for Goff, but it doesn’t seem to be a front-burner issue right now.

“Jared’s obviously extremely important to us. But those are things that, we know we want to get him done at some point,” Sean McVay said (via the Los Angeles Times’ Gary Klein, on Twitter). “Whether it happens this year, next year, those are things we haven’t really gotten into in depth about yet.”

The Rams last year authorized their big-ticket extensions late in the summer, with Brandin Cooks, Todd Gurley and Aaron Donald agreeing to new deals between July 17 and August 31 of last year. So, the team may be tabling this until that point on the calendar. However, Goff could be under Rams control for $8.9MM this season under the terms of his current contract. The Rams have $5.4MM in cap space.

This comes at a time when the Eagles are eyeing a 2019 extension for Carson Wentz, who was taken one pick after Goff in 2016. While a Goff extension would be proactive, with deals for Wentz, Patrick Mahomes and others set to reshape a market that has already changed significantly over the past year. The Rams waited until Donald’s fifth-year option season to finalize a second contract for the all-world defender. Gurley, though, had two years of team control remaining at the time of his signing.

Goff did not fare well in Super Bowl LIII but set new career-high marks with 4,688 passing yards, 32 touchdown passes and a 65.4 QBR during the regular season. The yardage and QBR figures are far north of his 2017 Pro Bowl season’s numbers. Another strong season would raise the 24-year-old passer’s stock further.

Jeff Fisher On Rams’ Success, Jared Goff, Coaching Record

December 23rd, 2017 at 2:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jeff Fisher‘s name has resurfaced recently as coaching changes are set to commence. The multi-decade sideline veteran wants another chance as a head coach. Fisher is eager to “salvage his legacy” and has already begun contacting potential staff members in the event he does receive the keys to a third NFL franchise.

The former Rams and Oilers/Titans leader said during a radio interview he had “a lot to do with” assembling the roster Sean McVay has on the cusp of an NFC West championship.

“I have no regrets whatsoever,” Fisher said on Nashville’s 104.5-FM (via Rich Hammond of the Los Angeles Daily News). “I am a huge fan of the Rams players. They’re basically — I don’t want to say my players — but I had a lot to do with that roster. Left them in pretty good shape, and Sean, as he has shown in a short period of time, is an outstanding young coach, and he’s got the offense going, which was needed.”

The core of this Rams roster — Aaron Donald, Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Trumaine Johnson and Co. — arrived during Fisher and Les Snead‘s four-plus-year run together. However, the veteran coach couldn’t steer the Rams into the playoffs. They are likely to snap a 13-year drought. Fisher traced some of his struggles back to Sam Bradford‘s ACL tears in 2013 and ’14, when the team ended up going 7-9 and 6-10, respectively.

“We were making progress and the team was deprived,” Fisher said. “It was deprived of talent. So we started building. The next year, our quarterback tears his ACL. The next year, our quarterback tears his ACL again.”

A Fisher-led team has not made the playoffs since the 2008 Titans. That drought — an eight-season hiatus — helped tie Fisher with Dan Reeves for the most losses in NFL history by a coach. The Rams fired him before he could potentially set the record. At 173-165-1, Fisher has the 12th-most wins in NFL history.

“My perspective is different because I went through it and I know exactly what I went through,” Fisher said. “I get a kick out of people (saying), ‘Oh, you just tied Dan Reeves for most losses in the history of the National Football League.’ Well, I’m a few wins away from being in the top 10. So, where do you want to emphasize? What’s your point?

“Two different franchises, five different cities, six different stadiums. Not an easy thing to do. The Chargers moved from San Diego to Orange County and started 0-4 (this season). Relocation is huge. And I’m not making excuses.”

Lastly, Fisher addressed Goff’s progress under McVay. Fisher kept fellow 2017 breakout performer Case Keenum in over Goff for several games last season, one that did not go well for Goff — or just about any Rams offensive player involved a league-worst attack — but said he kept the No. 1 pick on the bench for protection purposes.

“All through it, I was thinking about the best interests of the franchise, not myself,” Fisher said. “If I was worried about myself, I probably would have started him from day one and said, ‘Hey, this guy is going to be a better player.’ That was his rookie year, so we could chalk (struggles) up to a rookie year, but no, I wanted to do what was best for Jared.“

Rams GM Les Snead Discusses McVay, Goff, Offseason

January 28th, 2017 at 9:03am CST by Ben Levine

It’s already been a busy offseason for the Rams, as the front office made a number of coaching moves that should bring some excitement to Los Angeles. The organization didn’t only make Sean McVay the youngest head coach in modern NFL history, but they also added Wade Phillips as their defensive coordinator.

Of course, general manager Les Snead‘s job isn’t done. There are plenty of question marks when it comes to next year’s roster, and the executive will start solidifying his squad in the coming weeks.

In anticipation of the offseason, Snead sat down with Gary Klein of The Los Angeles Times. The executive discussed his new head coach, his plan for the offseason, and former number-one pick Jared Goff. The whole interview is worth reading, but we grabbed some notable quotes below…

On how it’s been working with Sean McVay:

“Exciting, because you see the young head coach but you also see him bring this unbelievable energy and passion to the job with that thought of how he wants to put together his staff and the puzzle there and what he’s trying to accomplish. … You’re working together to problem-solve, come up with solutions, come up with decisions and try to come up with what’s best for the Rams…. You can feel the chemistry developing based on just rolling up your sleeves and going to work and making your first decisions together.”

On his expectation for quarterback Jared Goff, last year’s first-overall pick:

“What he went through is only going to be positive in the future. It goes back to experience. … He knows what it’s like now. … What you got back is a very poised player — and adversity doesn’t rattle him. … Looking forward to seeing him grow because he’s felt and seen Sean come in and implement his offense, and Sean is really big on the quarterback. Jared’s chomping at the bit.”

On the team’s team-building strategy heading into the draft and free agency:

“I don’t know if I want to tell you exactly because it might tip hands, but I think philosophically I can tell you it’s probably, duh, right? We’ve got to figure out how to improve the offense and how that looks and what position groups you start attacking first. We want to move the ball, we want to get first downs and we want to score points. That’s going to be addressed at all angles.”

On how the team is going to approach their wideout depth (Kenny Britt and Brian Quick are set to hit free agency):

“It’s interesting with the receiving group because we already know a good bit about what Sean would like in his receivers. They’ve been described many times like a basketball team. And what that means is you probably don’t field five point guards, five shooting guards. …. With our pending UFAs I think it’s very safe to say we’ve got to sit down with the offensive group and see what they bring to the table and do they exactly fit us with the guys that are already on the team.”

On the status of cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who was slapped with the franchise tag last offseason:

“That will be a big decision. Wade, like a lot of [defensive coordinators], likes good players on the outside. Trumaine fits that category…. Trumaine is a larger guy with good ball skills and all things like that. Is it a square in a square, a triangle in a triangle or more a rectangle in a square? … That’s probably one of the top priorities when Wade walks in the door because, obviously, the magnitude of what his contract will look like and the magnitude of what another franchise tag looks like and everything in between.”

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