L.A. Rams To Sign Running Back Todd Gurley To $60 Million Contract Extension

After becoming the first team in NFL history to jump from the worst offense in the league to the best in just one season, the Los Angeles Rams have had a busy offseason, bringing in a host of new players including wide receiver Brandin Cooks, cornerback Marcus Peters, and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in order to make themselves serious Super Bowl contenders in 2018. Now it appears they’re looking even farther into their future, as they are close to finalizing a contract extension with running back Todd Gurley.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is $60 million over four years with $45 million guaranteed. Gurley was also given a signing bonus worth $20 million. With two years left on his current contract, the extension guarantees that Gurley will be with the Rams until 2023.

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Gurley’s contract extension extends farther than himself and the Rams, though, as it could set a new precedent for deals given to star running backs, especially when the likes of David Johnson and Ezekiel Elliott finish out their rookie contracts. However, the most pertinent NFL player on the periphery of this deal is Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, who continues to express frustration with his current contract with Pittsburgh, a sentiment which he has echoed over the past couple of seasons. He wants a long term deal and a ton of money to go along with it, much like the one Gurley was just given by the Rams.

Bell took to Twitter to congratulate Gurley on his new deal, while also saying that his demands are not entirely farfetched.

NFL teams are typically hesitant to sign running backs to long term deals such as the ones they give to quarterbacks, as running backs take perhaps the most hits of anyone else on the field, and are thus heavily prone to both injury and fluctuating production.

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However, it looks as though Gurley will be worth every penny. He won NFL Rookie of the Year honors in 2015, and after a poor sophomore season (which one can attribute to just being in a terrible situation with both coaching and personnel), he had an MVP-caliber 2017-18 campaign in which he rushed for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns on 279 rushes (4.7 yards per carry). He also added 788 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns through the air on 64 catches.

Gurley is as valuable as any non-quarterback offensive player in the NFL and should continue to thrive under coach Sean McVay’s hyper-explosive offensive scheme. It will be very, very interesting to see how this influences running back contracts in the future.