When Rams running back Todd Gurley recently visited the #PFTPM podcast, he seemed to be more than willing (or maybe just regular willing) to wait his turn for a new contract. His turn unexpectedly came quickly.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the deal was negotiated over the past week or so. In the end, the Rams made Gurley an offer that it would have been difficult for him to refuse.
While the details still aren’t known (we’re efforting), the guts of the contract permit a basic level of analysis. The four-year, $60 million extension, when coupled with the money Gurley was due to make over the next two years, puts him under contract for six years, at a total value of $71.949 million. That’s a total average of $11.99 million over all six years, giving him the most valuable multi-year running back deal in the NFL, by far.
He’ll hold that title until Le’Veon Bell signs his new deal next year. And, in theory, Gurley could have waited for Bell to set a new bar next year. But Gurley was due to make only $2.3 million this year. That will now change, dramatically.
Given that the Rams could have tagged Gurley in 2020 (the tender would have been at least $11.556 million) and 2021 (at least $13.86 million), Gurley swapped a four-year, year-to-year total of $37.3 million for six years and nearly $72 million.
Even if a large chunk of the $45 million in guarantees is guaranteed for injury only (and that’s definitely the case), he has protect against a catastrophic injury -- and he plays a position where injuries of that kind occur.
So even without the full details, it looks like a win-win. Especially since Gurley plays a position where most quality players inevitable lose financially.
