How can Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff “earn” a contract extension in 2019?

Is Jared Goff the quarterback of the future for the Los Angeles Rams?

The question itself isn’t problematic. The parameters of it are.

What are we measuring to determine that he is, and more importantly will ever be, enough?

Goff’s potential for a contract extension is magnified now after the megadeal for Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz re-signing in Philadelphia - the No. 2 selection in the 2016 NFL Draft notching another nudge of pressure on the No. 1 selection.

So what does Goff need to do to “earn” an extension like Wentz’s? What’s the hurdle, figurative or quantifiable, that he needs to clear?

Is it touchdowns? Interceptions? Is it command of the offense? Is it making another Super Bowl run? Winning the Super Bowl? Is it a Pro Bowl berth?

What’s the bar he has to cross?

Jared Goff contract extension tracker

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Jared Goff is a two-time Pro Bowler who led the Rams to the Super Bowl in his third season at the helm and holds a 60:19 touchdown to interception ratio over the last two seasons. He’s also a quarterback who struggled mightily as a rookie, looked bewildered in awful offensive outputs against the Chicago Bears in Week 14 of the 2018 regular season and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII despite Head Coach Sean McVay’s offensive genius at his disposal.

The Rams’ braintrust has been unified in supporting Goff publicly recently, but outlets like Pro Football Talk have persisted with the narrative that McVay can make magic with any quarterback and may not want to head down that road too early.

Does that make him excellent or expendable? Dominating or disposable? Incomplete or integral?

I’ve been vocal in my opinion that the Rams have little incentive to rush a deal. Goff’s Super Bowl struggles are well-documented, and his abysmal rookie season is still a faint whisper in the back of the minds of many. But the Rams don’t have to decide tomorrow and have plenty of “prove it” opportunities coming in the fall. The team would be foolish to make any decisions based on the man that had his name called directly after Goff in the draft, but their careers - magnified by Todd Gurley’s extension and subsequent drama thereafter - tie them together for better or worse.

The Eagles were comfortable with Wentz, but that doesn’t mean the Rams are uncomfortable with Goff. There’s plenty of time to decide what the expectations are and if Goff has met them to earn the keys to the franchise for the foreseeable future.

If Goff’s future is even foreseeable at all.