Sean McVay raised some eyebrows after the Rams’ loss to the Packers when he closed out his press conference by saying Jared Goff is “the quarterback right now” when asked about the future at the position. On Sunday, McVay was asked to clarify his comments and he didn’t change his answer.
He’s not committing to Goff as the Rams’ starter in 2021 right now because the team will evaluate every position on the roster. The quarterback spot isn’t exclusive to that competition, suggesting Goff will have to earn his starting job next season despite being paid $33.5 million per year.
Sean McVay, when asked if Jared Goff is the Rams' quarterback in 2021: "Everything is being evaluated. I'm not ready to make any sort of statements with regards to any starting position or not. We're going to have a level of competition in anything that we do."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) January 17, 2021
McVay wasn’t saying that Goff is done as the Rams’ quarterback, nor is he committing to him as the starter. But the fact that he didn’t say definitively that Goff will be QB1 in 2021 is jarring.
Goff has four years left on his contract and carries a cap hit of $34.6 million next season. Outright releasing him is not an option, as it would come with $65.5 million in dead money, but a trade can’t be ruled out.
Still, that’s getting a bit far ahead of things because there’s still a decent chance will remain with the Rams in 2021. There just may be some added competition, either from John Wolford or someone else.
Rams coach Sean McVay again confirms his $134 million QB will have to compete for his job in 2021: "I’m not saying anything other than we’re evaluating that, and I think it’s important that you do that at every single spot. No position is excluded from that."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) January 17, 2021
Prior to this season, McVay had been very complimentary of Goff, even when the quarterback was put in difficult positions. But his tone has shifted a bit as of late, beginning with McVay saying publicly that Goff has to take better care of the football.
This quarterback situation will be one to watch throughout the offseason, especially with Deshaun Watson wanting to get out of Houston via trade. With Les Snead, nothing should ever be ruled out.
