viously benefits Wilson immediately Taylor Rapp Jersey Cheap , it could pay dividends for Goff down the road."The Seattle Seahawks and QB Russell Wilson agreed to a contract extension early this AM:It’s a record deal that makes Wilson the highest-paid player in the NFL.Beyond what it means for Seattle, it reshapes what will be an absolutely massive free agency window for quarterbacks next offseason. This year was pretty light in activity in the sport’s most important position. Next year? Not so much.With Wilson off the board, the list of quarterbacks set to become free agents include Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, New York Giants QB Eli Manning, Los Angeles Chargers QB Philip Rivers, New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston, Tennessee Titans QB Marcus Mariota, and Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott.It also includes Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff and Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz, though they’re both expected to play on a fifth-year option for 2020 and not hit free agency until 2021 when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires. Keep an eye out for those options before the May 3 deadline. In any case, that class will go a long way in resetting the market for Goff and Wentz and their prospective deals.The bottom line is that there’s not an environment for each of those quarterbacks to outpace each other contractually. Still, Goff at just 24-years old with a Super Bowl appearance, full health and a season with more than 4,500 passing yards under his belt makes a strong claim to a record-setting contract.The four markers for gauging a new deal for Goff remain the same.Goff’s individual performanceThis aspect grew substantially in 2019 with key performances in which Goff displayed individual brilliance and not just a mastery of the system he operates or a chemistry with the pieces around him. In wins over the Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs, Goff had moments of pure excellence that were stronger than anything in his previous work. And his play late against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship showed the growth of a young player that was able to summon the requisite performance to win in the postseason.If he somehow has an even better 2019 season, this aspect is going to drive negotiations and drive them over the line Wilson set.The team around himThis was always going to be a bit tougher to pin down because of the distance from now to then (a 2021 and post-2021 environment), but things are getting a bit clearer.The Rams inked RB Todd Gurley, WR Brandin Cooks and RT Rob Havenstein to long-term deals, so we at least know some of Goff’s potential offensive teammates beyond his current deal. And the megadeal for DT Aaron Donald gives some certainty to the other side of the ball.But there’s still much to be seen for the offensive line overhaul to come. LG Rodger Saffold III and C John Sullivan are now both gone, and LT Andrew Whitworth stuck around for his swan song. While discussions need to be had surrounding WR Robert Woods and WR Cooper Kupp, the biggest portion of this aspect is the O-line. Will OL Joseph Noteboom and OL Brian Allen turn into long-term components? Who will the Rams draft this year in the 2019 NFL Draft that could join them? And then what are the Rams’ plan for the O-line next year between free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft?You’re already seeing criticisms of the Seahawks that there’s a degree of salary cap waste by plugging so much money into a quarterback (albeit a very talented one) with such a porous offensive line. The Rams will be facing the same calls if they don’t manage the O-line personnel transition well.The NFL market in 2020 and the Rams’ cap situationThis one is so hard to parse.We’re headed out of the old NFL with Tom Brady (yes, at some point all things must end) and Peyton Manning and Drew Brees and toward the new NFL. A new guard of Goff, Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield are headlining things at the quarterback position while teams of previous futility like the Rams, Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars are pulling themselves out the basement after years of failure.So what does the NFL look like heading into the new CBA? The salary cap has expanded substantially in the current CBA going from $120m in 2011 to $177.2m this season. We’ll get one more increase next year before needing a new CBA to set the boundaries of discussions, but at least we know how this one will play out.As for the Rams’ cap, things look fine if only because the Rams have so few long-term deals in place. Into a new CBA Rob Havenstein Jersey , the Rams have just # players: WR Robert Woods (2022), Havenstein (2023), P Johnny Hekker (2023), Gurley (2024), Woods (2024) and Donald (2025). So while we’re far from being in the vaunted salary cap hell that so many ascribe to teams with high-cost quarterbacks, it’s because our future roster is largely TBD. Letting Saffold leave while Whitworth is set to retire keeps the Rams from getting too tied up in big money deals. Were DT Michael Brockers to leave in a year, that too would keep the Rams from being too tight. The biggest immediate decisions with respect to the cap along with a potential Goff deal leading the way will be at the cornerback position. Both CB Aqib Talib and CB Marcus Peters are heading into contract years. At 33-years old, Talib would be a risky veteran to ink to a long-term deal; a shorter one would be wiser albeit more difficult to negotiate. For Peters though, he’s likely looking for a massive payday. Former Rams CB Janoris Jenkins and CB Trumaine Johnson were both able to get market value that the Rams weren’t willing to meet. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if the same happens to Peters, but if the Rams are keen to keep the ebullient Peters around it’s going to cost them.The QB marketThis is where Wilson’s deal is illustrative for the Rams’ and Goff’s purposes. I don’t know if anyone will top Wilson’s by the time a Goff deal starts to become a hot topic, but we’ll have to see.And who knows what the options will look like for teams looking for starters. As of right now, the 2021 free agent QB class includes Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins (whom Pro Football Talk mentioned as a possible Rams target down the line), Brees, Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton and Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton. There’s also the 2021 NFL Draft class to consider which is sure to be headlined by Clemson Tigers QB Trevor Lawrence who is the best QB prospect I’ve seen since Andrew Luck and maybe better.The last time I looked at a potential Goff extension, I closed it with this:While that all remains true, though we’re beyond the halfway point in his deal now, we’ve gotten a new barometer to gauge Goff against: his postseason play. Goff helped lead the Rams to the Super Bowl last year. That’s a new bullet point in his resume to add since we went over this in early November.But the outlook remains the same for the Rams and Goff even in light of the Russell Wilson.It’s going to be franchise-defining, career-defining and possibly record-setting. First, Emmanuel Sanders wagged his right index finger in the face of Rams cornerback Troy Hill . Now, he's pointing it right at himself after Denver's fourth consecutive loss.After his taunt came back to haunt the Broncos, Sanders accepted the blame for Denver's latest loss in a monthlong tailspin that has fans in the Rocky Mountains bracing for back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1971-72."I guess this loss is on me," Sanders said after the Rams escaped frigid Denver as the league's lone unbeaten team following a 23-20 win Sunday over the Broncos (2-4), who became the first team in NFL history to allow a 200-yard rusher in back-to-back games.Sanders thought he had a 44-yard TD catch from Case Keenum as he tumbled into the end zone in the first quarter. He sprung to his feet and wagged a finger at Hill.Side judge Brad Freeman threw the flag, calling a personal foul on Sanders for taunting.Ordinarily, the flag wouldn't have mattered much because the 15-yard penalty would have been enforced on the ensuing kickoff and Brandon McManus, after giving Denver a 7-6 lead with an extra point, undoubtedly would still have booted the ball out of the end zone for a touchback.Upon review Authentic David Edwards Jersey , however, it turned out Hill had the last laugh, having touched Sanders before he crossed the goal line.That put the ball at the 1.The penalty pushed them back to the 16.After runs of 1 and 5 yards, Keenum's throwaway on third-and-4 brought in McManus for a field goal instead of an extra point and his 28-yarder cut Denver's deficit to 6-3.They never did get the lead and those four points would have made the difference in a three-point loss."Me, honestly, I feel like the league is getting soft," Sanders said. "I'm having fun. I didn't do anything crazy to the guy besides say, 'Hey, I got you on that play.' I pointed my finger at him. And they threw the flag."Sanders said he's done that his whole career and has never been flagged for it."It was a great throw by Case, I came down with it, big play, emotions are high. It's not like I walked up to him and head-butted him or something," Sanders said. "But it cost my team. We lost by three points. I feel like we could have easily punched that ball in and gotten four (more) points. I guess this loss is on me."Vance Joseph, who fell to 7-15 as head coach, talked to Sanders on the sideline."He can't do that," Joseph said. "He knows that."Well, he does now."I don't think I did anything too crazy besides point a finger and tell the guy, 'Hey I got you on that play.' I don't see the penalty in that," Sanders said. "But I learned from it and like I said, it cost my team. I've just got to keep chugging along and don't do it again."The costly foul from a nine-year veteran came one week after Sanders' fellow SMU alum, rookie receiver Courtland Sutton , chased down Marcus Maye at the 1 following a 104-yard interception return at game's end, leaving the Jets safety with the longest such play without a score in NFL history."We played two of the best teams in the league, the Chiefs and the Rams, and the games came down to crunch time. And that just shows you what kind of team that we are," linebacker Shane Ray declared. "We're a great football team."Not at 2-4 they aren't.Even Fox play-by-play man Dick Stockton dissed the Broncos by beginning the telecast saying, "the undefeated Rams take on the Denver Nuggets."Other takeaways from Week 6 included:CUTTING OUT COLINThe 49ers posted dozens of photos on its website of past games against the Packers in advance of their Monday night game without at first including any of Colin Kaepernick David Edwards Los Angeles Rams Jerseys , who set an NFL record for QBs by rushing for 181 yards in a playoff win against Green Bay on Jan. 12, 2013, threw for 413 yards in a season-opening win against the Packers in 2013, and led a winning drive in a playoff game in Green Bay on Jan. 5, 2014."We have fond memories of those games and that should have been displayed on our website," the team said in a statement after adding images of Kaepernick. "This oversight does not properly reflect the appreciation our ownership and this team have for Colin."GRONK HONKTom Brady made light of yelling at Rob Gronkowski in an Instagram post following the Patriots' 43-40 win over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.In the second quarter, the sideline microphones picked up Brady yelling at Gronkowski to stand up out of his stance, and Brady ended up calling a timeout on the play.Gronk came up big in the fourth quarter with a stiff-arm that helped him gain 42 yards and set up a field goal that gave New England a 40-33 lead."Gronk, you can line up however you want if you keep stiff-arming people like that," Brady said.MISSED CALLSAl Riveron, the NFL's senior vice president of officiating, acknowledged for a second straight week that officials goofed in not calling a running back for lowering his head and barreling into a defender.In his weekly video, Riveron said Patriots rookie Sony Michel should have been flagged for lowering his head to initiate contact with Colts safety Clayton Geathers in Week 5.A week earlier, Riveron noted that Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt should have been flagged for doing the same thing to Broncos safety Justin Simmons.Although Hunt got away without a penalty, his illegal hit did result in a $26,739 fine.NO EXCEPTIONSRiveron defended referee Clete Blakeman's crew, which didn't flag Steelers receiver Justin Hunter for blocking Bengals DB Tony McRae beyond 1 yard past the line of scrimmage on Antonio Brown's 31-yard TD catch from Ben Roethlisberger with 10 seconds left that gave Pittsburgh a 28-21 win on Sunday."The contact is initiated by the defender," Riveron said on Twitter , "and therefore the receiver is not responsible for this contact."NFL rule 8, Section 5, Article 4 states: "Blocking more than 1 yard beyond the line of scrimmage by an offensive player prior to a pass being thrown is offensive pass interference."The rule book, however, doesn't specify an exception for defenders initiating contact.
