The Los Angeles Rams went from 4-12 in the 2016 season to 11-5 and winning the NFC West in 2017, with the main reason for that being the hiring of head coach Sean McVay.
The Rams also made a lot of personnel changes between the two seasons that were a big reason for the turnaround as well though, and one of those was the signing of wide receiver Robert Woods.
In four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, Woods never had more than 699 yards, although there was no doubting that the former USC product had talent and the Rams decided to give him a five-year, $34 million contract to come back home.
That contract has been worth every penny for the Rams so far, and it appears they feel he’s worth even more than that. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Rams have rewarded Woods with a raise for the next two seasons:
Rams agreed to give WR Robert Woods a raise for this season, adding an additional $1 million to 2019 Base Salary, and fully guaranteed a new $2 million Roster Bonus for next year, per source, without adding any new years added to the deal. A true raise.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 28, 2019
In Woods’ first seasons with the Rams, he was limited to just 12 games due to injuries but still had 56 receptions for a then career-high 781 yards and five touchdowns.
He then put up career-highs across the board this past season, his second with the Rams. The 27-year-old caught 86 passes for 1,219 yards and six touchdowns, leading Los Angeles in receiving in the process.
It is no secret that the Rams are building something special, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, and Woods will be a part of it for at least three more seasons so it’s good on the organization to realize how important he is to what they are doing and reward him.
With Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks, McVay and general manager Les Snead all signing extensions within the last year, quarterback Jared Goff is up next. Snead recently said that he is confident a deal will eventually get done to keep Goff with the organization long-term.
Cooper Kupp is returning from injury this season, so Goff will have perhaps the best wide receiving trio in all of football to throw to in Woods, Cooks and Kupp.