After a career year in 2015, Rams wideout and former first-round pick Tavon Austin has earned himself an extension.
Austin has signed a four-year extension to stay in Los Angeles, the team announced Saturday. The new deal is worth $42 million with $30 million in guarantees, a source with knowledge of the deal told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. The extension keeps the wide receiver under contract through the 2021 season.
The 25-year-old speedster will be invaluable over the coming seasons, adding another layer to a Rams offense that is desperate for playmakers.
In 2015, Austin caught 52 passes for 473 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 434 yards with four more scores. His 907 yards from scrimmage nearly doubled his previous best -- 569 during his rookie season. He was #23 in standard formats and a #28 finish in PPR leagues. Given his 8.35 YPC, the Rams don’t have any reason to stop giving him regular touches in the running game, and HC Jeff Fisher said that he could “double the catches over what he had last year,” indicating that Fisher thinks Austin could catch 100 balls. While we’re not projecting him to anywhere close to that number of catches, if rookie QB Jared Goff can raise the team’s wholly inefficient passing offense to a respectable level, Austin should benefit. He’s a post-hype sleeper in the 8th round.
