Although the Los Angeles Rams may have suffered a critical blow to their receiving corps by parting ways with Brandin Cooks, they can take solace in the fact that this group is still headed by Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, two of the most underrated receivers in the league, going into the 2020 NFL season.
Both players have provided the Rams with plenty of bang for their buck in recent years thanks to their high level of productivity. Woods has easily outplayed his five-year, $34 million contract while Kupp’s rookie deal continues to pay huge dividends for the team’s salary cap.
The time has now come for general manager Les Snead to double down on this duo of go-to weapons for quarterback Jared Goff in the passing game. Kupp is nearing the end of his rookie deal and Woods confirmed that he has engaged in preliminary talks on a new contract.
Woods has two years and $18.35 million left on his current deal. According to Greg Beacham of The Associated Press though, the veteran is hoping to receive a new contract that allows him to finish his career with the Rams:
Rams WR Robert Woods says he's happy with his current contract, but a new deal is "the goal. You want to get paid for what you're worth. I want to play here for the rest of my career."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) August 6, 2020
Woods’ desire to stick around on a lucrative contract extension is certainly understandable given his roots as a native of Los Angeles. Fortunately, he has good reason to believe it can come to fruition.
Woods has been arguably the most underrated receiver in the NFL since he joined the Rams to help spark a resurgence in head coach Sean McVay’s offense. He is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and his 2,353 yards during that span are the seventh-most of any wideout. Despite his modest touchdown numbers, there is no denying the impact he has as Goff’s most versatile and dependable weapon in the passing game.
The Rams were able to secure some much-needed cap space this offseason and will now have $42,732,083 to work with heading into the 2021 offseason. While Snead still has looming contract extensions for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and safety John Johnson III to take care of, he should have more than enough room to make an investment in their receiving corps.
It will be interesting to see where on the pecking order Woods will fall when it comes to getting the next batch of looming free agents signed for the Rams.
