The Los Angeles Rams have quickly become one of the model organizations of the NFL. After head coach Sean McVay was hired, the Rams have had back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 17 years.
While McVay has guided the team to victory, the Rams would be nothing without the talent they have acquired. After drafting Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley, and Jared Goff in three consecutive drafts, the Rams have secured all three to long-term contracts after negotiating a contract extension with Goff this week.
With an NFL offseason filled with drama for some teams, the Rams have been able to keep many of their contract negotiations out of the public’s eye. According to Lindsey Thiry of ESPN, Goff was especially happy for the privacy:
“Here, we had something going on that was between us and wasn’t involved with people outside of this building,” Goff said. “I’ve enjoyed that and I appreciate them for that.”
The Rams cornerstone quarterback’s contract came with the highest guaranteed money total in NFL history. Goff has earned his payday after becoming one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the NFL. After his turbulent rookie season, Goff has thrown for 8,492 yards, fifth-most in the last two seasons.
Goff was the last of the Rams three-headed beast to get a contract extension. Donald arguably had the most public negotiation after spending two years sitting out the offseason while waiting for an extension. Gurley is on the last year of his rookie contract deal but signed a four year $60 million extension last July.
Although Goff’s contract extension happened later in the offseason than many expected, he is just happy to have gotten through it:
“It’s been a long process,” said Goff, who is now tied to the Rams through 2024. “I’m just so happy to be done with it. It’s such a relief.”
While Goff has always been a professional, he surely must have a weight lifted knowing he has secured a contract. Now knowing that his next five seasons will be spent in Los Angeles, Goff can focus on returning to the Super Bowl, which he is excited for:
“I feel good,” said Goff, when asked if his record deal caused any distractions in game preparation. “When the talks initially happened, I think you go through different emotions of being happy and excited. I think that’s when you kind of are overwhelmed at that point. I think at this point, the talks and the numbers have been in my head for so long it’s more of, now you can just relax and play.”
Goff has steadily improved through each of his three seasons and will hopefully continue to do so for the 2019 NFL season and beyond with the Rams.
