Fansided

Rams release of Todd Gurley is cautionary tale to NFL

By Matt Verderame

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) runs the ball for a gain during an NFL game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams on December 29, 2019, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) runs the ball for a gain during an NFL game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams on December 29, 2019, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Los Angeles Rams gave running back Todd Gurley a massive extension two years early, and it’ll haunt them for quite some time.

Large contracts for running backs is a terrible idea. Large extensions for a running back under contract for two more years? Even worse.

In 2018, the Los Angeles Rams opted for the latter with Todd Gurley. General manager Les Snead had watched Gurley tear through opponents for 1,305 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 4.7 yards per carry, helping the Rams win the NFC West.

The reward was a four-year, $57.5 million extension with $45 million guaranteed. This despite Gurley still having two seasons on his rookie deal. No matter, the extension would kick in come the 2020 season, when Gurley was 26 years old.

Snead’s gamble looked golden in 2018. Los Angeles went to the Super Bowl with Gurley as an early-season MVP candidate. The former first-round pick rushed for 12,51 yards on 4.9 YPC and 17 scores, but all wasn’t well. Gurley struggled to stay on the field down the stretch, missing two games.

In the playoffs, Gurley carried the ball only 14 times combined in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl.

After the season, news broke on Gurley’s knee being arthritic. He never recovered in 2019, notching 857 rushing yards on 3.8 YPC.

On Thursday, with the Rams having to guarantee Gurley $10.5 million by Friday or release him, they chose the latter.

Incredibly, Gurley never played a down on his extension.

The Rams could have simply allowed Gurley to play out his rookie deal and then made an easy decision. They didn’t, and it cost them dearly.

Now, Gurley, 25, finds himself looking for a team. It’s unlikely he receives more than a one-year, prove-it deal. Meanwhile, the Rams are stuck carrying dead cap space on Gurley’s deal through the 2022 season, including $12.6 million over the next two seasons.

Teams around the league ought to take note. Of course, the Dallas Cowboys are sweating it out with Ezekiel Elliott, having given his deal the Gurley treatment.

Last summer, owner/general manager Jerry Jones gave Elliott a six-year, $90 million extension. After leading the league in rushing two of his first three seasons, Elliott continued his dominance with 1,357 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in 2019. Elliott’s extension doesn’t kick in until 2021.

Whether the Cowboys’ star makes good on his record-setting pact remains an unknown, but Gurley isn’t the first back to see his production steeply decline.

In coming years, other star backs will be eligible for huge paydays. Derrick Henry is currently in that position, sitting on the franchise tag with the Tennessee Titans. To think Gurley’s situation is lost on Tennessee general manager Jon Robinson would be foolish. The question is whether he talks himself into thinking Henry is the exception to the rule.

The lesson here should be heeded by every NFL team. The Rams made a bold move at a position known for its short shelf life, and they paid the price.

Home/NFL Free Agency