Rodger Saffold wants to remain with the Rams

[OldSchool]

Rams signed up a 35 yr old & 32 yr old UFA early in 2017 paid both very big contract both are still starting & holding up good enough....

The type of contract that could make Saffold RESIGN @ a moderate yearly priced contract..... is to make it long term going till normal retirement age for OL'ers. 5 to 6 yr contract would show Saffold the Rams Org. desire & want him to be a rare career Ram player in the modern age in LA. If Whitworth can play till 38 then why can't Saffold play LG till he is 36 yrs old. Whitworth sure has shown him how the last 2 years.

If OC Sullivan is replaced in 2019, Saffold would give the Rams/Kromer a decade-long starting veteran presence, just left to the first season starting center Brian Allen. What would this mean to youthful Allen to have Rodger Saffold performing next to him @ LG in the NFL trench warfare?

In addition, if aging LT Andrew Whitworth gives way early next season to another first season starter Joe Noteboom. What would it mean to Noteboom to have a pro bowl caliber Saffold starting next to him? In addition, Noteboom gets the luxury of having a LG who played LT for his entire college career plus starting 3 NFL season @ LT...... perfect!

What good fortune Snead/ McVay/Kromer & Goff will get with having Saffold here in the future. Saffold brings so much more than just being a good starting LG in the lineup.....a pro bowl caliber, smart & general great all-around true professional ....What is the true complete worth & value of this?

One incredibly major difference between Whit and Saffold is durability. While he’s been healthy lately it can’t be ignored that he’s missed let’s say 28 games to injury in 9 years to Whitworth missing 8 in 13 years and none since 2013.

 

[Merlin]

One incredibly major difference between Whit and Saffold is durability. While he’s been healthy lately it can’t be ignored that he’s missed let’s say 28 games to injury in 9 years to Whitworth missing 8 in 13 years and none since 2013.

Since that contract he signed in 2014 here's his game totals:

2014: 16 starts
2015: 5 starts
2016: 15 starts
2017: 15 starts
2018: 16 starts

IMO teams aren't going to view him as any more an injury risk than any other player. If he hits the market it's $$$.

 

[FarNorth]

Your argument has some merit Boni. But I am afraid of longer contracts for guys over 30, and would not be willing to do that if I'm in Demoff's shoes.

My approach would be offering him a 3 year deal where he's paid well, just not to the level of what he'd get on the FA market.

ALSO I would couple that with a restructure of Big Whit's contract because his cap hit for 2019 is a whopping $15M (with $5M dead cap hit). Whit's cap hit this past year was $9M, so I'd try to shave his number down to the $6M range or so and help lessen the hit of Saffold's increased cap hit.

Basically what I'd be going for is two guys making top money (Havenstein & Saffold), and a guy who is long in the tooth and near retirement still being compensated and having a roster spot.

If the Rams can front load a longer term contract with bonus and guaranteed money in the first few years Bonifay's approach might work. Personally I think Saffold can continue to play at a high level into his mid 30's if he stays healthy. If so, this would be a good deal for the Rams and if not, they can cut him in year 4 or 5. Also think Saffold has no desire to go through free agency again after his experience with Oakland so he might be open to this.

 

[OldSchool]

Since that contract he signed in 2014 here's his game totals:

2014: 16 starts
2015: 5 starts
2016: 15 starts
2017: 15 starts
2018: 16 starts

IMO teams aren't going to view him as any more an injury risk than any other player. If he hits the market it's $$$.

We need a golf clap emoji/rating IMO.

 

[1maGoh]

Since that contract he signed in 2014 here's his game totals:

2014: 16 starts
2015: 5 starts
2016: 15 starts
2017: 15 starts
2018: 16 starts

IMO teams aren't going to view him as any more an injury risk than any other player. If he hits the market it's $$$.

We should all know from Steven Jackson that starts don't tell the whole story.

I don't know (or think) that Saffold has left a bunch of games early. I'm just saying it's something that doesn't show up in the starts column on the spreadsheet, but does affect games. Also it's really hard to find evidence of years later.

 

[Ram65]

Rodger Saffold/Date of birth

June 6, 1988
age 30 years

Roger will be 31 next camp.

I have been saying that teams give the big deals to younger players just coming off their first contract. Guys that are 24-26 years old. Some at 28 get very good deals. At 31 the risk reward gets much higher for a team giving big money to a player. Rams should be able to make a close offer for Roger to stay.

 

[VegasRam]

I always held him accountable to that standard & hated the way he talked negatively after Goff said remember this feeling after Goff’s rookie season.

Don't recall this - what'd he say exactly?

 

[1maGoh]

Don't recall this - what'd he say exactly?

“You want to be paid fairly,” Saffold said. “But I think the culture and the team that I’m around is worth just as much as the extra money that I could get from going somewhere else.

“That’s just with getting older and understanding what I’m around. I want to be successful for years to come, and I think in order to do that -- I’ve been with this team for so long already, it’s like why start changing now that it’s good.”

First post in this thread... Last two paragraphs.

 

[Noregar]

Saffold's stated willingness to offer the Rams a "hometown discount" gives us hope that he is not set on testing the market like Joyner and Watkins were last offseason and that the Rams should be able to get a deal done before FA opens if they really want to retain him. Prior to free agency the Rams will not be competing with other teams contract offers so there is a good chance he would resign if the Rams offer to pay him fair market value (assuming he really is sincere about offering the hometown discount). Whereas in early free agency competing teams tend to exceed the "fair market value" so if Saffold gets to the open waters of Free Agency then resigning him will be much more difficult IMO and that also implies that he may not have been so sincere about that discount.

Having followed football since well before the inception of Free agency, I have noticed the consistent trend where FA's from winning teams tend to be more in-demand, especially from super bowl winners. It is much like what the Ram are now experiencing with their assistant coaches. Suffice to say that the Rams current success will probably gin up more outside interest for all of their FA's especially the offensive players. On the flip side players like Saffold become more willing to take a discount to stay with a winner, especially the vets looking for that ring.

 

[So Ram]

Don't recall this - what'd he say exactly?

The quotes from Saffold I don’t have. They were from 2 & 3 years ago. I believe it was a response to a reporter who ask what he thought of a quote by Goff about remember this feeling.

 

[BonifayRam]

The end could be coming for Rodger Saffold and the Rams, and he would like it to be happy
January 8, 2019 at 3:55 pm
By Rich Hammond
https://www.pe.com/2019/01/08/the-e...nd-the-rams-and-he-would-like-it-to-be-happy/

THOUSAND OAKS – After a half-decade of turbulence, Rodger Saffold isn’t ready to get off the flight, just when things have become nice and smooth for the Rams’ longest-tenured player. Will it happen? Saffold’s time with the Rams now is a game-to-game situation, and it starts with Saturday’s playoff game against Dallas. The starting guard is set to become an unrestricted free agent in March, after nine seasons – most of which ended in frustration — and more position changes that can be counted on fingers and toes.


Things are settled now, at least on the field. Saffold has enjoyed a latter-career resurgence after he finally settled in at left guard and the Rams might make a Super Bowl run. Saffold is 30, with the usual array and bumps and bruises acquired by a veteran lineman, which makes this a difficult decision time.“To be able to (succeed) with the team that gave me my shot from the beginning is huge,” Saffold said. “Yes, there’s been some controversy in the past, but at the end of the day, everything happens for a reason. If it’s meant for me to continue on with this team, I’ll do it. If not, you just have to keep moving on.”

How does this go? Does Saffold give the Rams a hometown discount, or look to strike on the open market after the two most productive seasons of his career? Do the Rams reward a good player and a great citizen, or do they look to the future and invest in a younger player?Those questions are complicated by age and the salary cap. In 2019, the Rams already have almost $16 million invested in left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who turns 37 next month, and $4.25 million invested in center John Sullivan, who turns 34 next August. Both linemen will be free agents after the 2019 season.

In the short term, this is an intriguing week for the Rams’ offensive linemen. Dallas’ defense allowed an average of only 3.8 yards per rush this season. Giving quarterback Jared Goff time also is important, because the Cowboys’ linebackers have the ability to cover the Rams’ running backs and tight ends.The game could be won up front for the Rams, which would be notable. Saffold lost his playoff debut last season, when the Rams lost to Atlanta. Whitworth is 0-6 in the playoffs. Sullivan is 1-4.“You want to have some urgency,” Saffold said, “because of course you want to take advantage, but I think it’s more about understanding the opportunity that you have and making sure you take advantage of it, because you don’t know how many you’re going to have left.“So you definitely appreciate it more, and you just want to make sure you tell the younger guys, because a lot of people could take it easy and think this is something that happens every year, and it’s just not like that.”

Going forward, the Rams already have committed to right tackle Rob Havenstein, who signed a four-year, $32.5-million contract extension in August, and they’re high on Austin Blythe, who, at age 26, figures to be a long-term option for the Rams, either at center or one of the guard positions.That leaves Saffold, who is in a weird spot. At 30, he’s not old, and he hasn’t had a significant injury since 2015, but he’s entering a career stage that can be a danger zone for an offensive lineman.

Plus, in terms of value, it’s tough to find a comparable. Saffold joined the Rams in 2010 as a rookie left tackle and, over the next six years, bounced between both tackle and both guard positions. He never complained, but also never looked comfortable, until Coach Sean McVay took over in 2017 and made Saffold a full-time left guard.Then, Saffold thrived. He made the All-Pro (second) team last year for the first time in his career, and he has helped anchor a productive unit. Saffold’s last contract included an average cap hit of $6.3 million. Since then, he’s gotten older and more productive. It’s tough to say where the next number should land.

 

[nighttrain]

Would love to see Saffold remain with the Rams, all about the money and what he'll need to remain with Rams.
train

 

[tomas]

 

[dang]

 

[Prime Time]

View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1083835192190558209

 

[kurtfaulk]

Don't recall this - what'd he say exactly?

Rams QB Jared Goff: 'You can learn from the bad'
3 Jan, 2017

• 
  
  Alden GonzalezESPN Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES -- Moments following a 44-6 loss to the division-rival Arizona Cardinals late Sunday afternoon, Los Angeles Rams rookie quarterback Jared Goff went around the room, shaking hands and patting teammates on the back for a lost season that was now finished. He made sure to seek out the younger players that will remain part of the core, and he told them: "Just remember what this feels like. It's going to drive you through the offseason. It's going to drive you into next year. It's going to maybe even carry with you for the rest of your life."

Goff is only 22, just seven starts into his NFL career, but he speaks from experience, specifically the 1-11 season he absorbed as a teenage freshman at Cal.

Goff believes this season was "pretty identical" to that. "And I think the best part about it," he said, "was that we weeded out the people we needed to weed out. We changed the culture in the building, and then we won in the coming years with the same guys that were 1-11 the year before, and that's kind of what I expect to happen here, as well."

Case Keenum for the starting job, and began the regular season as an inactive third-stringer. Goff became the backup by Week 2, then finally supplanted Keenum after the Rams' 9-6 road win over the New York Jets in Week 10. The Rams never won again. But Goff was continually praised for his toughness, and defensive end William Hayes believes Goff is "light years ahead" of where he was in the spring.

"I’ve seen him grow," Hayes said. "That kid’s future is going to be really sharp. Two years from now, next year from now, we won’t be having this discussion. He’ll be one of the best to ever play the game. That’s my opinion."

Goff has the arm strength, and while taking a whopping 25 sacks over his last six games, he also flashed mobility and presence in the pocket. But Goff struggled to get on the same page with his receivers, missed on several easy throws and, aside from the first half against the New Orleans Saints, hardly moved the ball. Teams quickly learned that bringing constant pressure would easily thwart the Rams' sluggish offense, a philosophy the Cardinals adopted while pressuring Goff on more than 40 percent of his dropbacks.

"You can say that he didn’t win a game as a starter, but we also weren’t very good in, really, any of the positions on offense to give him a chance," Rams interim coach John Fassel said.


"You can learn from the bad things," Goff added. "In life and in football and everything you do, it’s not always going to be up, up, up, up, up, all positive. There’s going to be down years, down games, down times in your life, and the way you get better from them is you learn from them."

Two weeks ago, after a demoralizing loss to the lowly San Francisco 49ers, Goff stood behind the podium at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and made a vow to the fans, saying he would do "everything in my heart and soul" to fix the offense.

Now he'll face the most important offseason of his life.

"To me, after having this season, when he told everybody that he’s going to do whatever it takes to change it, let’s see how these next few months go, and we’ll see if he does," veteran offensive lineman Rodger Saffold said. "We’ll see if he does. It’s going to be a new team."

http://www.espn.com.au/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/125257/rams-qb-jared-goff-you-can-learn-from-the-bad

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[kurtfaulk]

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we should call william hayes "the sage".

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[BonifayRam]

Rams gave interior OC John Sullivan who is 3 years younger than Saffold & now 33 yrs a contract for 2 seasons that had a cap hit cost in 2018 @ over $8.2 million. Sullivan is slated to earn $5.2 million @ the age of 34 yrs old in 2019. Rams gave OT Andrew Whitworth who was 36 yrs old in 2017 a 3 yr. contract for 34 million that averaged out @ approx $11.25 million a season.

Left OG Saffold will be 31 yrs old when the 2019 season begins. IMO JS is entering his prime for an interior OL in the NFL. I have seen nothing in the last 2 seasons of his play that indicates Saffold leveling off or trending downward in his on-field performance due to his age. If anything I believe he is getting better & is in outstanding shape & health. The last two seasons 2017/2018 Saffold is a pro bowl OG first alternate. Saffold made 8 mil this season.

This 2018 season Miami gave 32 yr old OLG Josh Sitton a 2 yr contract for $13.5 mil. that averaged $6.750 million a year. Last season OG TJ Lang who was 31 yrs old @ the time, signed by Detroit to a 3 yr $28.5 mil contract that averages out to $9 mil a season. OG Ron Leary (who is 1 yr younger than Saffold) signed a 4 year, $36 million deal averages $9 mil a year. OG Justin Pugh signed a 45 mil/ 5 yr contract this season that averages to approx. $9 mil a yr. Pugh is 2 yrs younger than Saffold.

Some younger interior OL'ers like 27 yr olds Ryan Jensen & Weston Richburg signed long term contracts averaging $10 mil & 9 mil. a yr. Early this season, the top-rated OLG in free agency 26 yr old pro bowl LG Andrew Norwell signed a long term contract for an average of $13.3 mil a yr as the top rated Free agent OG in March of 2018.

I have already posted the upcoming list of the Free Agent interior OL'ers on 12/26/ 2018, of which the Rams OLG Saffold is by far the superior OG listed. I also posted on 12/28/2018 an article of just how many NFL teams were in dire need of an interior OG like Saffold. Now I have compiled this info $$$ to give us an idea what the market value has been on UFA interior OL'ers so we might attempt to formulate what it will take to keep my #1 priority Ram FA in the Rams Uni.

 

[PressureD41]

So, maybe 3 year deal avg 9 Million? JMHO