Todd Gurley’s knee was the most talked-about storyline last offseason as everyone wondered if he would be his normal self after taking a backseat in last year’s playoffs. The speculation and concerns turned out to be warranted as Gurley had his worst season since 2016.
He was also used less than he ever has been, getting a career-low 223 carries and only catching 31 passes in 15 games. Malcolm Brown was more involved in the offense, and Darrell Henderson got a small share of touches, too, which helped make up for Gurley’s reduced role.
All of this took place in a year when Gurley’s lucrative contract extension hadn’t even kicked in yet. That begins in 2020 and will run through 2023 at an average of $14.38 million per year.
Gurley clearly isn’t the running back he once was and the Rams are now in a predicament. Do they pay him more than $14 million per season to be an average back or do they trade him and try to offload his contract? ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry predicts the Rams will at least try to shop him, though finding a trade partner could be tough.
Here’s what Thiry wrote in ESPN’s NFL-wide prediction piece.
In a pinch to find space under the salary cap, the Rams will attempt to trade running back Todd Gurley.
Whether L.A. can pull it off remains another question, given Gurley’s massive contract that includes $45 million in guarantees and runs through the 2023 season, as well as the uncertainty that continues to surround the long-term health of his surgically repaired left knee. This past season, Gurley played a diminished role in the offense, rushing for 857 yards, his fewest since the 2016 season (885).
If the Rams do trade Gurley, the cap savings won’t be huge. They would gain $4.65 million by shipping him out of town, which is far more reasonable than the $8.4 million cap loss they’d suffer by outright cutting him.
His cap hit in 2020 is $17.25 million, the highest of any running back in the NFL. It’ll be at least $12.4 million in each of the following three years, too, so it’s not as if he’ll get significantly cheaper any time soon.
Brown and Henderson are capable backs for the Rams and would be able to carry the load if Gurley is traded. They don’t possess the proven production that Gurley has, but Henderson showed how explosive he was last season and Brown has earned the trust of the coaching staff.
It’s going to be an interesting offseason in Los Angeles, given the team’s need for cap space and the difficulty of finding it with such a top-heavy roster.