As bad as the contracts for Jared Goff, Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks look in hindsight, the Los Angeles Rams have also handed out some great deals to key players. Aaron Donald’s contract has worked out marvelously, and Jalen Ramsey’s deal was worth every penny so far after he earned a first-team All-Pro nod last season.
But an underrated deal that the Rams did was the one for Rob Havenstein in 2018. It was a four-year pact worth $32.5 million, including just $9 million guaranteed. Pro Football Focus ranked the 32 best contracts in football and at No. 24 was Havenstein.
PFF points out that Havenstein has been a top-10 right tackle in terms of WAR (wins above replacement) since signing the deal in 2018, a show of his value to Los Angeles.
The Rams smartly inked Havenstein — their second-round selection in 2015 — to an early extension following his third season, and his $8.125 million per year average was the highest among all right tackle signings that offseason. The following offseason in 2019, five right tackles signed for $10 million or more per year, including Trent Brown and Lane Johnson signing for more than double Havenstein’s figure in terms of per-year average.
Havenstein was not himself in 2019 while dealing with injuries, which was really his only poor season since Sean McVay arrived in 2017. He bounced back nicely last year with a strong performance at right tackle, allowing just four sacks and committing five penalties, with an overall grade of 80.2 at Pro Football Focus.
He has cap hits of $8.3 and $8.8 million in the next two years, which puts him sixth among all right tackles for 2021. His average salary ranks seventh in the NFL, too, making his contract a strong value.
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