NFC Notes: Rams, Saints, Seahawks

Rams

Rams QB Jared Goff says he hasn’t thought too much about his contract and how the recent big-money contracts will impact him in the coming years.

“It’s good for the position,” Goff said, via the Los Angeles Times. “It’s great for all us young guys — and it’s not unexpected that it’s going to keep going up. … people consistently want to top one other. But … that’s far away, down the road, so I don’t think about it too much.”

Goff is currently in the third year of his four-year, $27.9 million contract and stands to make base salaries of $2.98 million and $4.25 million over the next two years. The Rams will have to decide on his fifth-year option next year.

Saints

Saints HC Sean Payton explained in an interview with Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports why they ultimately decided to send a future first-round pick to the Packers in the trade up to get DE Marcus Davenport.

“It’s something we felt that could help our team right now,” Payton said. “And obviously there is downside and you give up some compensation and you give up some flexibility next year. But we are worried about this year, too, and our focus is on winning this year, and that was the cost to move from where we were in the first round to getting really into a different part of that round.”

Payton added that they felt Davenport fit a lot of what they were specifically looking for at defensive end.

“I was aware of him early on, and you’re looking closely at the position fit and looking at the prototype and size,” Payton said. “He’s someone that we felt fit a lot of the things we were looking for and he can also play defensive end, and we kind of put a premium on that position. So from that point to when we are entering the draft — and we were selecting where we were in the later part of first round — you know if we were to go up it would have to be for a specific player. And in fact, when we are grading these players like [Saquon] Barkley, the running back, or other specific players, the question might be before the final grade — would we move to get this player? And [Davenport] was one that we felt we would do that for.”

Seahawks

• Bob Condotta believes the Seahawks would at least consider the possibility of signing a free agent safety such as Tre Boston if they were to trade S Earl Thomas this summer.
• However, Condotta says this is a big “if” seeing as they haven’t gotten any offers yet to compel them to trade Thomas.
• Condotta could also Eric Reid being a consideration in this scenario, but adds that they would also like to give their young guys a fair shot.