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Lindsey ThiryESPN
THOUSAND OAKS, California. Sean McVay’s words ended, but not before the Los Angeles Rams coach answered a one-time question about Jared Goff’s status as a Rams quarterback.
“Yeah, he’s our quarterback,” McVay said during a Zoom session with reporters, “right now.”
It was Saturday, immediately after a 32-18 division round defeat against the Green Bay Packers that ended the Rams ’season.
On Sunday, during a final video conference with reporters before the low season broke, McVay was asked to clarify his statement.
“Everything is being evaluated,” McVay said. “I’m not prepared to make any kind of statement about anyone: starting position or not, we will have a level of competence in everything we do.”
McVay has emphasized the competition on the roster during his four seasons as coach, but this is the first time the issue has punctually included the quarterback.
There are four seasons left with the $ 110 million contract guaranteed by Goff, but on Sunday McVay would not guarantee Goff’s place on the advancing list.
“We’re in a situation where we’re in evaluation mode,” McVay said when asked if there was a scenario where Goff wouldn’t be on the list in 2021. “Let’s go ahead, wait and I can’t answer any questions. ‘these questions until I take a step back and evaluate everything that is in the best interest of the Branches.’
The Rams offense acted inconsistently over a 10-6 season, and the frustration between McVay and Goff became apparent as the season went on. Goff, who went through 3,962 yards and 20 touchdowns with 17 changes, drew public criticism of McVay for the first time in his four seasons together after the Week 12 loss to division rival San Francisco 49ers, when had several losses in a 23-. 20 defeat.
“Our quarterback needs to take better care of football,” McVay said after the game.
With a division title in play in Week 16, a 20-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Goff went 234 yards with an interception that he said was one of the worst plays of his five-year career, but he also went deservedly deservedly completing the game after breaking his thumb at the end of the third quarter.
Goff was operated on a day later in hopes of returning in time for the playoffs.
Backup John Wolford, a former unrecruited free agent, made his first appearance in the NFL early in Week 17 and helped the Rams win 18-7.
As the Rams prepared for the rematch against the Seahawks the following week in a wildcard playoff, Goff told McVay he was capable of playing, but McVay chose to name Wolford as a starter while Goff continued to recover.
However, Wolford was forced to come out in the first quarter against the Seahawks in the wildcard round due to a neck injury, and Goff went for 155 yards and a touchdown, leading the Rams to a 30-20 win.
After the game, Goff said it was difficult when McVay told him earlier in the week that Wolford would start.
“As a competitor, of course, I wanted to be out there and I wanted to play and I felt I could make a difference,” Goff said. “He’s the coach. He had to make a decision that he had to make earlier in the week to come out in front of a few things. I get it. But as a competitor, of course, he wanted to play and he was ready to play.”
With Wolford ruled out ahead of the divisional round clash against the Packers, Goff – less than three weeks into thumb surgery – started and completed 21 of 27 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown.
“My job is to win the match,” Goff said when asked after the match if he felt any sense of personal accomplishment with his performance. “There are absolutely no moral victories, especially in the playoffs.”
“You really saw a guy who stepped in. He did what he could, I thought he was making some plays, I thought he saw the field well,” McVay said after the game. “He’s done a good job today.”