Robert Woods was hardly viewed as a No. 1 receiver when the Rams signed him to a five-year deal worth $34 million in 2017, but he’s turned into one in L.A. over the last three seasons. And as a result, Woods’ contract now looks like an absolute bargain for the Rams.
Unfortunately, the Rams only have Woods under contract at less than $7 million per year for another two seasons, at which point he’ll become a free agent in 2022. Woods deserves any raise he gets after the next two seasons, but he isn’t pushing for one.
He told reporters on a conference call Thursday that while he wants to be a Ram for life, he’s fine with his current contract. He and the team have had preliminary talks about a new deal, though, which is encouraging.
Woods’ average annual salary ranks 37th among all wide receivers in the NFL today, behind the likes of Cole Beasley, Adam Humphries, DeSean Jackson and Sterling Shepard. By just about every measure, Woods’ deal is below market value, and the Rams would probably like to keep it that way.
Given their cap situation with Jalen Ramsey, Cooper Kupp and John Johnson still to pay, the Rams need to save every penny they can at other positions. Thankfully, Woods hasn’t made a fuss about his contract, but the Rams might want to think about rewarding him if he has another 1,000-yard season in 2020.
