It was quite an eventful week for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Robert Woods after signing a four-year, $65 million extension leading up to the team’s 37-19 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Head coach Sean McVay was optimistic that the Rams would find a way to take care of Woods after locking up fellow wide receiver Cooper Kupp to a three-year, $48 million contract extension. General manager Les Snead was able to solidify this notion in Week 2 by keeping this receiver tandem intact for years to come.
While a lucrative payday is always cause for celebration, this one for Woods certainly carries extra weight given his roots as a Los Angeles native. He came up as a star at Junípero Serra High School in nearby Gardena before going on to star at USC.
After spending his first four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, Woods enjoyed quite a homecoming when he signed with the Rams prior to the 2017 campaign. He expressed how grateful he was to be staying home for the foreseeable future, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“Thank you to everyone in the Rams organization, especially (Owner/Chairman) Mr. (E. Stanley) Kroenke,” Woods said after the Rams’ victory over the Eagles on Sunday. “Happy to be here producing, and keep doing it for an extra four years.”
Woods also took to Twitter to offer up his full thanks:
— Robert Woods (@robertwoods) September 20, 2020
Woods’ excitement is certainly understandable considering few players get the opportunity to live out their football dreams on their own stomping grounds. Fortunately, he has proven to be well worth the investment and will be tasked with helping this team reach its high expectations.
Woods has been one of the most productive wideouts in the league ever since his return to Los Angeles by ranking among the top 11 NFL receivers in receptions, receiving yards, and yards after catch over the past three seasons. He is now coming off consecutive 1,000-yard receiving campaigns and has gotten the 2020 NFL season off to a hot start with eight receptions for 119 yards to go with a rushing touchdown through the first two games.
Having two viable options in the passing game has certainly paid huge dividends for quarterback Jared Goff. More importantly, the versatility from both Woods and Kupp allows McVay to get creative with their usage on offense
Aside from his contributions on the field, Woods has also made efforts off of it by partnering with Rock the Vote to bring awareness to this year’s election.
