Cal Football: Jared Goff Has Contract That Every Pro QB Would Love

ESPN reminds us that it’s good to be Jared Goff.

The former Cal star from Marin is ranked No. 1 on ESPN’s list of how committed each NFL franchise is to its quarterback.

Goff’s connection to the Rams is rock-solid, based on a stunning financial figure: He will earn a guaranteed $73 million — probably more — over the next three seasons.

Here’s how Dan Graziano, the story’s author, explained the ranking process:

So when we want to settle a discussion about how committed each NFL team is to its starter, we have to look at the cold, hard numbers. And I'm not talking about yards or touchdowns or completion percentage. I'm talking about money.

As we did around this time last year, we wanted to take a look at each team and basically ask the question, "How married are they to their starting quarterback?" We do this by digging in, as best we can, on the contract figures and assessing how financially committed each team currently is to its starter. We look at how much more money is guaranteed, when non-guaranteed money becomes guaranteed, how much it would cost to cut or trade the player after this season, after next season and more.

Using these metrics, Goff was probably an easy call as top-ranked. The Rams have been criticized for giving him a contract that in some ways limits their ability to make other personnel moves, but there is no doubting their commitment to the former Golden Bear.

Here's the breakdown from ESPN:

1. Los Angeles Rams

Starter: Jared Goff | Signed through: 2024

Tier: Locked-in vet | Ranking in tier: No. 1

Contract: Four-year, $134 million extension signed in September 2019, including approximately $57 million guaranteed at signing.

March 20 was a big day for Goff. On that day, he collected a $21 million 2020 roster bonus, his $25 million 2021 salary became fully guaranteed, his $2.5 million 2021 roster bonus became fully guaranteed and his $15.5 million 2022 roster bonus became fully guaranteed. This means the Rams will pay Goff $73 million in fully guaranteed money over the next three years, plus almost certainly his non-guaranteed $10 million 2022 salary on top of the $25 million signing bonus they gave him last fall.

The absolute soonest it would make sense for the Rams to get out of this contract is the spring of 2023, though they could do it in the spring of 2022 if they don't mind paying him $15.5 million to not play for them that year.

Consider that just one year ago at this time, before signing his new deal, Goff ranked 22nd on this list. He was at the top of the category "on the verge of commitment" on the basis that the Rams were going to have to soon re-do his original four-year, $27.938 million, fully guaranteed contract.

Meanwhile, veteran Aaron Rodgers — the other former Cal quarterback currently starting in the NFL — settles in at No. 10 on the ESPN list.

He has been demoted from the “locked-in vet” tier to “clock is ticking,” based at least partly on the franchise’s selection of his presumed heir, Utah State’s Jordan Love, in the first round of the NFL draft.

Here is ESPN’s breakdown of Rodgers’ financial situation and the Packers’ commitment to him:

10. Green Bay Packers

Starter: Aaron Rodgers | Signed through: 2023

Tier: Clock is ticking | Ranking in tier: No. 1

Contract: Four-year, $134 million extension signed in August 2018, including $78.7 million guaranteed at signing.

We had Rodgers in the "locked-in vet" tier last year. But something happened in April that changed his circumstances. That something was the Packers' selection of Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the draft. As Rodgers admitted in a conference call two weeks ago, this makes it far less likely he finishes his career in Green Bay.

The structure of Rodgers' contract, which includes a $6.8 million roster bonus due on the third day of the 2021 league year, make the permutations complicated. Suffice it to say that there would be a trade market for him, as he's scheduled to earn around $25 million a year over the final three years of his deal. But the dead-money charges involved make it more likely the Packers trade him in 2022 than 2021. If they want out next year, they could save some cap hit by making him a post-June 1 cut.

Figure he has two more years left in Green Bay, unless the team wins big in the meantime and Love doesn't develop the way it hopes. But if 2020 doesn't go well and Love does advance quickly, Rodgers could be playing elsewhere as soon as 2021.

Love's deal, once signed, will be a four-year deal worth about $12.4 million. The slot where he was picked (No. 26) hasn't historically been able to get a full guarantee in the fourth year, though the team will hold a fifth-year option on him for 2024.

Rodgers was at No. 3 on this last year, based on a $19.5 million roster bonus he received in March 2019. That meant Rodgers would earn $100 million for the first three seasons of the contract extension he signed in 2018.

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

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