Offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth plans to play in the NFL at least until he’s 40, as he has signed a three-year deal to re-up with the Los Angeles Rams.
Andrew Whitworth really wants to win a Super Bowl. And apparently, he wants to do that with the Los Angeles Rams before he inevitably retires. However, that will not be until at least the end of the 2022 NFL season, as Whitworth has agreed to a three-year deal to stay put with the Rams.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports it was a three-year deal for Whitworth to re-up with Los Angeles. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports we’re looking at roughly $10 million annually for Whitworth’s services to remain in Los Angeles. Even though he is getting up there in age, Whitworth remains one of the best offensive tackles in football.
Whitworth is a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time First-Team All-Pro. After spending 11 seasons with the team that drafted him in the Cincinnati Bengals, Whitworth has made a new home for himself in Los Angeles. He has been responsible for keeping quarterback Jared Goff upright for the last three seasons. Here is three more great years out of the star tackle.
Here are the contract details, national reaction and grade for Whitworth re-upping with the Rams.
Contract Details
Per Schefter, it is a three-year contract for Whitworth. Pelissero reports it will be around $10 million annually. So we’re looking at roughly a $30 million deal over three years for Whitworth to play his age-38, his age-39 and his age-40 NFL seasons with the Rams.
Though he’s a super veteran in this league, he has only gotten better at his craft since turning 30 years old.
National Reactions
Despite being in his late 30s, the national media likes seeing Whitworth doing back to the Rams. Even though he hasn’t been a Pro Bowler the last two years, Whitworth has played in and started in 47 of the Rams’ 48 regular-season games over the last three seasons. He is an iron man out there at left tackle and hopes to remain that through this new contract he just signed.
Ultimately, it’s difficult to project what Whitworth will be like in a few years. He could fall off a cliff physically or he could play like the future Pro Football Hall of Famer he is. Goff and head coach Sean McVay should be happy Whitworth is coming back.
However, a three-year contract to a veteran offensive lineman that will run past his 41st birthday in December 2021 is a tad scary.