When the Los Angeles Rams signed running back Todd Gurley to a four-year, $57.5 million contract following the 2018 season, it looked like a good idea. He was fresh off a 1200+ yard rushing season, his third 1000+ yard season in four years, and was clearly a vital part of the success the Rams had enjoyed.
But it looks like there is now a chance they could be looking to get rid of him.
When he ran well, it made Jared Goff’s job a lot easier, and the Rams won games. Locking him up for the immediate future seemed like a genius idea at the time, one that would keep the Rams in Super Bowl conversations for years to come.
But then he was diagnosed with arthritis in his left knee. His struggles in the 2018 postseason suddenly made sense, and guaranteeing him $45 million didn’t. Rather than use him as they should, the Rams had to worry about ‘load management’ last season—and the offense suffered.
With Gurley carrying a $17.2 million cap hit this coming season, it is not hard to understand why they may want to move on (despite the $12.6 million in dead cap space). Since so many teams are finding diamonds in the rough in the later rounds of the draft, maybe it would be worth it to cut him loose.
But if they are going to do so, they will need to do it soon. A $7.5 million roster bonus is due on March 15. If you are confident he is going to be playing elsewhere in 2020, FOXBET.com is offering a wager you may be interested in:
Todd Gurley’s Team For Week 1 Of The 2020 Nfl Regular Season
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- Buffalo Bills +350
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +450
- Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins +600
- Los Angeles Chargers +900
- Detroit Lions +1000
- Houston Texans +1200
- Arizona Cardinals +1600
- Tennessee Titans +2500
- Pittsburgh Steelers +3300
- Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears +5000
- Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers +6600
- Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos +7500
- Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens +8000
- New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings +10000
So—where is he going to go?
Most of these teams can be easily removed from the conversation. There is no way anyone with odds of +5000 or more is going to even think about acquiring him. Maybe the Eagles, but they have other areas of need.
The Steelers, Titans, and Cardinals can likely be taken out of the equation as well. While Houston could use him, they don’t have any draft capital, their offensive line is terrible, and they can’t afford him. The Lions run game has been abysmal for years, but they are likely going to be more concerned with Matthew Stafford’s back (and a backup quarterback) than an over-priced running back.
If the Chargers are not going to pay Melvin Gordon, they are not going to pay Todd Gurley. Tampa Bay has no running game; maybe if they had one, Jameis Winston wouldn’t feel like he had to do it all.
That leaves the Bills, Seahawks, or Dolphins.
Miami is in rebuild mode, so taking on Gurley’s contract would not make sense. But the Bills and Seahawks would be exciting options. Both are run-first teams that already have a couple of good backs on the roster. Gurley would not be expected to carry the full load for either team.
However, there is no way anyone trades for him with his contract as it currently is. He is not worth $15 million a year. So, if he doesn’t restructure his deal and take a cut by turning some of the money into incentives he will probably not reach, he will likely go nowhere or get cut.