Jared Goff Will Officially Become the NFL's Most Overpaid Player Next Month
Jared Goff led the NFL in attempts last season while his interceptions increased and his touchdowns decreased from the previous year. The Rams went 9-7 in a tough NFC West and missed the playoffs. Goff, who turns 26 this coming season, will need a big bounce-back season for the Rams to leapfrog the 49ers and Seahawks next season.
That doesn't sound great, but life is actually great for Jared Goff right now. In a month, his financial future will be set no matter how his on-field performance plays out for the rest of his career.
In one month (3/19), Jared Goff will be paid his $21M roster bonus for 2020. In addition, his $25M 2021 salary, $2.5M 2021 roster bonus, & $15.5M 2022 roster bonus ALL become fully guaranteed. His dead cap figure will rise to $94M!
— Spotrac (@spotrac) February 19, 2020
That's $64 million guaranteed. In addition to the $25 million or so he made over his first four seasons. Even if Goff continues to regress as the Rams continue to be hamstrung by his huge contract, at least Brock Osweiler will be proud.
Plus, Goff just had a nice Valentine's Day with his girlfriend, model Christen Harper. They went golfing.
So that is all very nice for Jared Goff. From the Rams' perspective, though...
If Goff doesn't turn things around, the Rams are screwed. A month from now they become financially stuck with Goff for the foreseeable future. Based on his performance last season, he's arguably the most overpaid player in the entire NFL.
This isn't the AFC or NFC East where the Rams can back into a playoff spot with a fine season. Russell Wilson isn't going anywhere. The 49ers are set up to compete for years. The Cardinals are hopeful that Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsburgy can trend upward.
People thought the Goff deal was bad when it was signed, but now that it's coming due people are really going to have a problem with it. Well, everyone but Goff, at least.