Sean McVay is sick of hearing it suggested that he is a magician who can succeed with any quarterback, therefore the Los Angeles Rams don't need to pay Jared Goff a Carson Wentz-type of deal.
The coach told NFL Network's Michael Silver on Thursday he's fed up with the suggestion that the Rams aren't committed to Goff long-term.
"Whether it ends up happening this year or next year, there is a zero percent chance this guy's not gonna get an extension he's worthy of," McVay said. "All the narratives out there are wrong. Jared and I couldn't be more connected, and I couldn't be more appreciative of him as our leader. He is so vital and important to us and our success. That extension will get done. It's a matter of when, not if."
Phew. That is about as strong a rebuke of a media-driven narrative a coach gets.
The lecture follows speculation that the Rams might be hesitant to lock down Goff because McVay is the puppet-master who is the sole reason for the quarterback's success, and therefore L.A. might balk at paying him $30-plus-million per season on a new deal, especially after his struggles in the Super Bowl.
At the very least, the idea that McVay could take any quarterback, like, Blake Bortles, for instance, and spin golden magic belies the reality of the relationship a coach and quarterback build over time and how much that plays into the success and yearly development.
For his part, Goff isn't fretting about his next deal with the Rams, knowing his payday is on the horizon so long as he stays healthy and continues his yearly improvement under McVay.
Goff is on the Rams' books for the next two seasons of his rookie contract, at salaries of $4.26 million and $22.783 million, respectively, then L.A. owns the ability to wield the franchise tag for an additional two seasons. Theoretically, the Rams could employ Goff for the next four seasons (at escalating salaries) without giving him a long-term deal.
L.A. notoriously took a long time to pay Aaron Donald before making him the highest-paid defender in the NFL (briefly). Even if the front office takes a similar approach to Goff's contract, McVay insists he's found his long-term quarterback.
