Ex-Cal QB Jared Goff Ranked Among Most Overpaid – But Is That Bad?

A former Cal QB is the agent for this former Cal QB, and maybe they should be lauded for what they got

There are two ways to look at the fact that former Cal star and current Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff is ranked among the 10 most-overpaid players in the NFL by CBSSports.com.

You could argue that he is getting more money than he deserves.

But you could also claim that Goff and his agent are smart negotiators, getting the most for their product, which is Goff. You don’t blame your realtor when he gets a lot for a house you are selling. You admire him for being a skilled and astute.

In Goff’s case, the agent is Ryan Tollner of Rep1 Sports. Dedicated Cal fans will recall that Tollner was a quarterback for the Golden Bears in 1997 and 1998, serving as the backup to Justin Vedder under head coach Tom Holmoe. Tollner did get into some games, including a series in the 1997 opener against Houston, but he never threw a pass as a collegian.

He’s earning plenty of money these days anyway.

Goff, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, is ranked as the fifth-most overpaid NFL player, based on cap hit.

Here is what CBSSports.com said about Goff:

2020 cap hit: $28.8 million (Third highest among QBs)

If the Rams had a time machine, the first thing they'd probably do with it is go back and undo Jared Goff's contract. Goff isn't necessarily a bad quarterback, he just hasn't shown that he's worth the money that the Rams gave him. Thanks to his four-year, $134 million extension that he signed in September 2019, which has already been restructured once, Goff will have a cap hit of $28.8 million in 2020, which is the third-highest of any quarterback in the NFL for 2020. That's a huge number for a quarterback who tied for the fourth most interceptions in the NFL in 2019 while looking mostly below average all season. The biggest problem for the Rams is that there's not really any easy way to move on if he struggles again in 2020. The team will take a monstrous dead cap hit if they release him at any point over the next three years, which means he's basically tied to the Rams through the 2022 season.

Let’s consider what Goff has done to earn that money. He had a mediocre rookie season, when he started seven games, but the Rams were 11-4 with Goff as a starter in 2017. Goff was named to the Pro Bowl and finished fifth in the NFL in passer rating that year, ahead of Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Ben Roethlisberger, among others. In 2018, Goff led the Rams to the Super Bowl, was again named to the Pro Bowl and was considered an MVP candidate for much of the season.

Then, the following September, he got his big contract – a four-year extension worth $134 million, including an NFL-record $110 million in guaranteed money.

The news was not received well in all corners, because Goff had not fared well in his most recent game – the Super Bowl. The Rams’ offense sputtered in a 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots.

Goff’s numbers were not as good in 2019, as the Rams went 9-7 and missed the playoffs.

But he is still just 25 years old and presumably on the upswing in his career.

His contract was restructured this past April to free up some cap room.

You may claim Goff is overpaid, but it’s hard to argue with the results and his future potential.

Here is CBSSports.com’s rankings of the 10 most overpaid players:

1. Nate Solder, offensive tackle, Giants

2. Jacoby Brissett, quarterback, Colts

3. Malcolm Butler, cornerback, Titans

4. Le’Veon Bell, running back, Jets

5. Jared Goff, quarterback, Rams

6. David Johnson, running back, Texans

7. Alshon Jeffery, wide receiver, Eagles

8. A.J. Green, wide receiver, Bengals

9. Leonard Fournette, running back, Jaguars

10. Olivier Vernon, defensive end, Browns

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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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