After Carson Wentz inked his massive $128 million contract extension, eyes turned westward, to Los Angeles, where Jared Goff sits as one of the next young quarterbacks waiting for his payday.
The signal-caller insists he's not concerned about his next contract, which could reach another stratosphere.
"It's not for me to worry about," Goff said Tuesday, via the Associated Press. "It's for the team and my agent to work on, and keep doing what I've been doing on the field, and hopefully it will take care of itself."
Goff has helped the Rams to back-to-back NFC West titles and a Super Bowl appearance in three seasons. The 24-year-old said he's worried about improving as a player, not his next deal.
"You definitely think about it," Goff said of his next contract. "But at the same time, I know that none of that is even possible without playing on the field, and being available on the field. I'll just continue to do what I've been doing the last few years, and hopefully it will take care of itself."
It's difficult not to read Goff's comment on availability as a subliminal reminder that while he hasn't missed a game due to injury since being draft No. 1 overall in 2016, Wentz has suffered season-ending injuries each of the past two years. If, as Bill Parcells used to say, the most important ability is availability, then Goff certainly has a leg up on Wentz in that department.
Coach Sean McVay has heard the idle chatter that perhaps the Rams aren't enamored with the thought of paying Goff $30-plus-million per season, especially after his Super Bowl dud. The coach scoffed at the idea that any QB could succeed in his system, and said the Rams intend for Goff to be "our quarterback" for "a long time."
"Any of the things or narratives that are out there -- Jared Goff, as long as I'm fortunate enough to be in this role, hopefully this guy is stuck with me for a long time," McVay said. "He's an outstanding leader. People make a deal about this system, (but) he's the reason why (it works). Our players are the reason why the system is what it is, because (Goff) can do so many different things. ... He's got true ownership, a great ability to communicate with his teammates, and with him leading the way, we feel really good."
The Rams talked often about how they would pay Aaron Donald, but it took a long while to get that massive deal done. Might we see a similar situation play out with the starting quarterback?
