It’s open season on Jared Goff, and not just because the Los Angeles Rams gave their franchise quarterback a massive contract extension before the start of the season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers teed off on Goff on Sunday, when they dismantled Sean McVay’s creative offense the old-fashioned way: They dominated up front to constantly batter or otherwise harass the quarterback, then played physical on the back end to challenge, disrupt and often separate passes from intended targets.
It was the type of game that begged for a star quarterback to will his team to victory. We’ve seen it from Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and lately, Lamar Jackson.
But Goff, despite the four-year, $134 million extension that includes a record $110 million in guaranteed money, is hardly that guy. When the script goes haywire, he too often follows suit.
As it stands now, the Rams’ heavy investment in Goff is backfiring – especially when considering there was no urgent need to lock up the quarterback who on his original contract wasn’t eligible to be a free agent until 2021, even if the Rams didn’t use a franchise tag on him. For the short term, the salary cap dollars might have been used in other areas. Fair or not, fans have had a field day bashing Goff for the big contract, as he carries mediocre numbers, including a TD-to-INT ratio of 11:9 and a passer rating of 82.7.