Rams RB Todd Gurley gets record deal, $45M guaranteed -- report
It wasn’t that long ago that Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams grumbled out loud about the lack of guaranteed money in NFL contracts.
Well, the squeaky wheel just got the grease, as the running back signed a four-year, $60 million contract that includes $45 million in guarantees, an NFL record at the position, according to a source who told ESPN’s Adam Schefter the details.
The cherry on the sundae? The deal came with a $20 million signing bonus.
And as seems to come up every time the words “running back” and “contract” are uttered in the same sentence, Le’Veon Bell of the Steelers, who is making $14.5 million this year under the franchise tag, stood up and took notice.
✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾 yeah todd https://t.co/To0v91y9T7
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) July 24, 2018
Bell just showed here how something as brief as a tweet can be such a powerful use of words.
By simply saying “Yeah Todd” after three fist emojis, Bell both congratulated one of his brothers in the NFL running back fraternity and put his team on blast in the “Where’s Mine?” sweepstakes.
Upon further reflection, however, Bell decided to be a bit less charitable in his follow-up tweet.
lol and ppl thought I was trippin?…
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) July 24, 2018
Gurley’s extension doesn’t kick in until 2020, as the 23-year-old is still on his rookie contract, set to make $2.3 million this year and $9.63 million as the Rams exercised their fifth-year option for next year.
Rams GM Les Snead was delighted to be able to report the news.
“He’s a big weapon for us,” Snead said Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Rams coach Sean McVay chimed in with his own thoughts.
“Last year’s production isn’t really a reflection of the value that he provides because he did such a great job, but he’s so much more than that to our team,” McVay said. “The way that he competes in protection, the way that he works and the way that rubs off on his teammates.”
The Rams are in the perfect position to win now, as quarterback Jared Goff is on a rookie deal of his own, and Gurley’s cap hit won’t kick in on the team until 2020.
It’s reminiscent of how the Seahawks, with quarterback Russell Wilson and most of the Legion of Boom defensive secondary on rookie deals, went to two consecutive Super Bowls in the 2013 and 2014 seasons, winning one and coming one Malcolm Butler interception for the Patriots away from winning two.
Gurley ran for 1,305 yards, caught 64 passes for 788 yards (bringing his total yards from scrimmage up over the coveted 2,000 mark), and scored 19 touchdowns (13 rush, six receiving) last season.
That was good enough to win Gurley the Offensive Player of the Year award.
And, apparently, it was good enough for the Rams to cut him a check for $20 million as part of the biggest guaranteed-money deal ever given to an NFL running back. The position once thought obsolete in a passing dominant league just underwent one heck of an evolution in the person of a back averaging over 12 yards a catch.
Whether L.A.’s high-powered offense wins the Rams a title the way the “Greatest Show on Turf” won one for the franchise in St. Louis remains to be seen.
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