NFL
Rams Sign Todd Gurley To Record Four-Year Extension
The Los Angeles Rams signed star running back Todd Gurley to a four-year, $60 million contract extension on Tuesday. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Gurley’s new deal is among the highest ever for a running back.
Todd Gurley’s new 4-year, $60M extension that includes $45M Gtd is the largest guarantee given to a running back, the largest per-year average for any running back, and gives other RBs such as David Johnson and Ezekiel Elliott a new benchmark.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 24, 2018
Additionally, Gurley’s record-high extension also includes a hefty $20 million signing bonus. While the Rams clearly feel that Gurley is worth the payday, the effect of his extension is already being felt by the rest of the league. For the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, his contract could create better deals for his fellow NFL running backs.
A New Era For The Running Back Market
It’s important to realize just how significant Gurley’s extension is for both running backs and the league as a whole. There have already been signs of impending change, of course. Prior to Gurley’s deal, the Giants gave Saquon Barkley the then-highest guaranteed salary of any running back in a league he’s yet to play in.
Not long before, Le’Veon Bell turned down a reported five-year, $70 million contract from the Steelers. The signs of coming change were there and growing. With Gurley’s extension, the change has arrived.
Running backs have wanted better pay – specifically, guaranteed pay – for quite some time. Entering the 2018 NFL Draft, only punters and kickers averaged lower dents in the salary cap than running backs. The majority of running backs with the largest guaranteed salaries were still on rookie contracts.
It is an undeniably important position, of course, but one with limited shelf life. For the players, they want salaries that reflect their value to the team. As the sport wears down their bodies, they want guaranteed money to cover future medical costs and assist life after their increasingly short careers.
For the teams, large financial commitments to players in notoriously short-lasting positions are often hard to justify. With the salary cap and consistent intake of young talent, it’s easier to sign fresh prospects than take chances on veteran players.
Todd Gurley, like an increasing number of NFL backs, plays a dual-threat role. Last season, Gurley was the Rams’ most prolific rusher and receiver. For other top dual-threat backs, seeing the Rams go all-in on Gurley is an encouraging sign for their own negotiations. For the teams they play for, it is a decrease in leverage. With more teams now willing to spend big on running backs, the league’s best rushers know they have more options going forward.
