Cal Football: Rams May Reshuffle Jared Goff's Contract

Jared Goff passed for more yards last season than all but two quarterbacks in the NFL. His 4,638 yards were more than Hall of Famers Brett Favre, Joe Montana or Joe Namath ever had in a season.

But a year after helping the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl, Goff and his team slipped to a 9-7 record. The former Cal star saw his touchdowns drop from 32 to 22 and his interceptions climb from 12 to a career-high 16.

Since the season ended, the Rams have jettisoned two highly paid offensive stars, releasing running back Todd Gurley and trading wide receiver Brandin Cooks, both of whom also experienced performance dips.

Goff, set to begin his fifth pro season whenever the NFL gets under way, isn’t going anywhere. On the heels of the Super Bowl, the Rams last September gave Goff a four-year, $134 million extension, with $110 million guaranteed, both of which were the most in league history at the time.

His overall contract total has been surpassed, but Goff’s guaranteed money remains an NFL record.

With the Rams looking to retool in a few areas, the Rams need to find salary space. Saying goodbye to Gurley and Cooks actually costs the franchise $20 million in “dead” money, and the Rams currently are $5 million over the cap, according to ESPN.

During a teleconference with reporters this week, Goff acknowledged there has been some internal conversation about tweaking his contract.

"I think that's a better question for (Rams CEO) Kevin (Demoff) and my agent," Goff said. "I think there's been some stuff about being able to clear some cap space. And if so, I'm all for it. I don't see why not. It doesn't change anything for me and helps the team out.”

The potential tweak to his deal wouldn’t involve a pay cut, but would mean reallocating some of his money to create salary room the Rams could use to add to the roster.

Here are some other thoughts Goff shared with reporters:

— Asked if Rams fans should be worried about the franchise’s direction, Goff suggested, "Just relax. It’s going to be just fine.”

— On the exit of Gurley and Cooks: "Those guys were such an integral part of our team and it's tough to move without them. But like I said, it's part of the business. Stuff like this happens all the time.”

— On possibly playing in the new Sofi Stadium without fans in attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic: "Not ideal, not what you want to do. I do understand that there are a lot of bigger implications in place right now as far as health of the world, but I know that's not the vision that we had moving to L.A. . . . If that is what it is, then we have to roll with it. I don't think it's anything we want to do.”

*** An intriguing question: Did 49ers loss in the Super Bowl save lives?

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