Les Snead non-committal on Jared Goff: He’s a Ram ‘at this moment’
Jared Goff just wrapped up his fifth NFL season with the Rams and is still under contract for another four years, earning $33.5 million per year. Los Angeles gave him $134 million less than two years ago, but based on the way things are trending, he may not even be on the roster come September.
A week after Sean McVay opted not to commit to Goff as the team’s starter, general manager Les Snead is singing the same tune. During a press conference with reporters on Tuesday, Snead said Goff is a Ram “at this moment” – which is another way to say “right now,” as McVay did when asked whether Goff is the team’s quarterback.
Snead borrowed a line from Aaron Rodgers by calling the future a “beautiful mystery” and said it’s too early to say whether Goff will be on the team next season.
GM Les Snead, when asked point-blank whether Jared Goff might not be on the Rams next season: "Not going to get into specifics on those. That's the beautiful mystery of the future. … Jared Goff is a Ram at this moment. It's way too early to speculate."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) January 26, 2021
Technically, Goff hasn’t even played a snap on his new contract. It runs for four more years, and when it was signed, it came with an NFL record $110 million.
Cutting Goff is almost impossible financially, considering it would cost the team $65.5 million in dead money, but a trade can’t be ruled out. And after seeing the way the Rams jettisoned Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks last year while eating dead money from their deals, the front office clearly isn’t afraid to take a financial hit to make a change on the depth chart.
Snead was asked to evaluate Goff’s 2020 season and he put it in terms that echo what most fans have said. He started strong but in the middle of the season, turnovers became a problem. Then, he finished the year on a high note with solid performances against the Seahawks and Packers while playing through a broken thumb.
Asked to evaluate Jared Goff's season, Rams GM Les Snead says it had "steps forward and steps back." He loved the way Goff started the season, but saw "a step backwards with turnovers" as the year went on and then a step forward late in the season despite the broken thumb.
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) January 26, 2021
More Rams GM Les Snead on Goff: "He's a Ram right now. He's No. 2 in wins since he & Sean have partnered together. That's been a heckuva partnership. What I do think is the real thing that should come out of this is, hey, we want to be a better offense. And that includes Jared."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) January 26, 2021
If the Rams do move on from Goff, there’s not the slightest bit of clarity on who could replace him. Might McVay want to give John Wolford a longer look? Could they go after Matthew Stafford or, dare I say, Deshaun Watson?
Everything is on the table when it comes to Snead and his penchant for blockbuster trades, but first, they have to find a way to move Goff without obliterating their salary cap situation.
