Joe Montana comparisons make Jared Goff’s contract a bargain for the Rams

Jared Goff has just agreed to a four-year $134 million extension with the Los Angeles Rams that ties down the quarterback for six years, all the way through to 2024. The contract includes an NFL record-breaking $110 million in guaranteed money. Therefore, Goff will be earning between $32 and $34 million a year.

With all the turmoil surrounding the contracts of Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott and Melvin Gordon, this news will be welcome to Rams fans who were anxious about locking up their star quarterback and the future of the Rams offence. However, the sting of Goff’s lacklustre Super Bowl performance still lingers for many a Ram fan.

The deal has come under some scrutiny from Goff critics. It is a common narrative that Goff is just a system quarterback, that Sean McVay could pick and plug any other QB in the league and the Rams would achieve a similar level of success. It is true that McVay’s offence does do a lot of work for the quarterback. You very rarely see Goff improvising and having to make something out of nothing.

Looking at Goff’s 2018 stats, the fourth year quarterback had 4688 yards passing, 64.9% pass completion rate, 32 touchdown passes to only 12 interceptions. On the surface level these are the stats of a Pro Bowl to All-Pro quarterback. However, if we delve deeper and look at Goff’s average yards gained per pass completion (Y/C) is 12.9 yards per completion. The third best in the NFL behind gun slinging quarterbacks such as Ryan Fitzpatrick (14.4) and Patrick Mahomes (13.3).

Goff’s high Y/C indicates that even if McVay was completely responsible for how Goff breaks down a defence then Goff himself still has to make these difficult throws. A staple of the McVay offence is the play-action deep ball set up by the run game, according to PFF, in 2018 Goff had a deep completion rate of 42.1. ninth best in the NFL.

Goff’s slight stature and laid back demeanour strongly contrasts the stereotypical perception of what a starting NFL quarterback should be. This often leads to the viewpoint that the Rams are wasting their money on a man who doesn’t look the part, or owes much of his success to his head coach. But let’s look at the cold hard facts. Jared Goff led the best offence in the league the last two years. In his third season he led his team to the Super Bowl. Goff’s passing yards, completion percentage and TD to INT ratio is superb. He can throw short, medium and long.

As a 49er fan it pains me to say it, but watching the elegance and timing with which Goff plays one can’t help but conjure up images of Joe Montana slicing and dicing the opposition with the softest touch. This comparison is only strengthened by looking at the symbiotic relationship Goff has with his head coach. Montana and Walsh, Goff and McVay. $134 million well spent if you ask me.