Jared Goff is still a relatively young quarterback compared to a lot of other starters in the NFL today. At just 25 years old, he’s in the early part of his career, potentially with another decade-plus of play to go.
It’d be foolish to say he’s already hit his peak or is in the prime of his career after just four seasons, considering how long it takes some quarterbacks to really break out. And as he continues to work with Sean McVay, the more comfortable he’ll get in the offense.
That’s still occurring today as he enters his fifth NFL season. He and McVay have essentially come up together as a quarterback-coach duo and Goff is continuing to find his voice as a leader.
Even though the Rams have been unable to practice, Goff feels further along this offseason than he did last year.
“I definitely feel further along than I did last year – and I know I say that every year, but I do,” Goff said on a conference call with reporters. “I feel like I’m able to have even more of an opinion than I’ve ever had and it’ll continue to grow, but at this point, me and Sean have been through so much together, we’ve seen so much together where he can say something and I can disagree confidently and likewise with him. I can say something and he can disagree with me and it’s not that I’m still so much learning, even though we are learning every day. I know our system so well at this point and I’m able to speak my mind if I need to.”
Goff’s first full season as a starter was also McVay’s first year as an NFL head coach, which has helped their development together. Relatively speaking, they’re still in the early stages of their partnership and ideally, they’ll turn into the next Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
There’s a new voice in the room with Goff and McVay this year, though, with Kevin O’Connell joining the mix as the Rams’ new offensive coordinator. O’Connell hasn’t had the chance to work with the Rams during a practice yet, but Goff can’t wait for that time to come.
“Kevin’s been awesome. I can already see – I mean, we haven’t been able to get on the field with him – but I can already see through this point that he’s going to be really good for us and really good for our whole team,” Goff said of O’connell. “I mean, for me specifically, him being a guy who played quarterback and has coached quarterbacks at a high level, it’s exciting for me and it’s going to be fun. He’s had a lot of experience doing it and has a really good track record and I’m excited to actually get on the field with him and get to work.”
Goff and McVay always try to keep an open line of communication with each other, and that won’t change with O’Connell now on the coaching staff, too. They’re able to voice their concerns and speak freely with each other, which will only help the entire offense as the year goes on.
“That relationship between me, Sean and Kevin is kind of the driving force of our offense and just making sure we’re on the same page at all times and speaking the same language and at the same time, like I mentioned, if we disagree on things, voice that and get it fixed,” Goff added. “And I think that’s the biggest thing that this year will be great is myself, Sean and Kevin being able to have that fluid conversation throughout the year. What we see, what we like, what we don’t like and just continue to work on it.”