Tag: todd gurley released

Sean McVay: Todd Gurley’s ‘one of the all-time great Rams’

LA Rams HC Sean McVay called former Georgia football RB Todd Gurley one of the all-time greats in the history of the franchise.

Todd Gurley was once the best offensive player in the National Football League.

Sadly, an injured knee prevented him from holding onto that title, but there’s no doubt that he still has what it takes to be an elite ball carrier in the league.

The way that Rams head coach Sean McVay publicly handled Gurley’s knee injury has been one of the most criticized stories since Los Angeles’ Super Bowl loss to New England.

McVay would routinely tell the media that Gurley’s knee was fine and that they were limiting his touches for reasons. Nobody bought that story.

As frustrating as it was for fans to watch Gurley take less and less snaps, McVay surely did not like it either. How could he? You have the best running  back in the NFL on your roster and you can’t play him as much as you’d like to – yeah, McVay definitely was not a fan of that.

McVay spoke on Gurley’s tenure with the Rams shortly after the 25 year old was released by the franchise.

“I would like to thank Todd for his many contributions to the Rams, on and off the field, since I have been here,” McVay said. “He has meant a lot to my growth as a coach and leader and he will always be remembered as one of the all-time great Rams. I wish him nothing but the best.”

Gurley ranks sixth all-time in Rams history with 5,404 career rushing yards and his 58 rushing touchdowns ranks second.

Related: Todd Gurley to the Chiefs? Twitter thinks it’s a good fit

Related: Twitter reacts to Todd Gurley being released

Related: Todd Gurley: ‘I got fired on my day off’

Related: New Falcons DE Dante Fowler wants Todd Gurley to join him in Atlanta

Rams GM Les Snead, who drafted Gurley in 2015, also spoke on Thursday.

“When we drafted Todd in 2015, we knew he was going to be a one-of-a-kind talent that would create special moments on the football field for us,” Snead said. “Todd did this by becoming one of the greatest competitors in this league, but more than that, he served as a great teammate to his fellow players and ambassador for our organization, and those traits speak volumes to who he is as a human being.”

Adam Schefter reveals two NFL teams that were most interested in trading for Todd Gurley

Adam Schefter of ESPN revealed two NFL teams that were once interested in trading for former LA Rams and Georgia football RB Todd Gurley.

Before releasing Todd Gurley on Thursday, the Los Angeles Rams were in discussions with multiple NFL teams about trading the one-time superstar running back.

No team was willing to take on Gurley’s contract, so the Rams were forced to release him.

However, before releasing him, two NFL teams reportedly showed interest in making a trade in the weeks leading up to Thursday.

Related: Todd Gurley: ‘I got fired on my day off’

Related: New Falcons DE Dante Fowler wants Todd Gurley to join him in Atlanta

According to this tweet from Adam Schefter, the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons were the two teams that expressed the most interest in Gurley.

Earlier this week, the Falcons released starting running back Devonta Freeman, meaning there is room for a ball carrier on the roster.

Falcons fans are getting more and more fed up with the franchise lately – the addition of Gurley could help to cool off some heated members of the fanbase.

Will the Falcons bring Gurley back to Georgia, where he played his college ball from 2012-14?

Related: Todd Gurley to the Chiefs? Twitter thinks it’s a good fit

Related: Twitter reacts to Todd Gurley being released

Then there’s the Miami Dolphins, a team that has been projected to select fellow Bulldog running back D’Andre Swift in April’s NFL Draft.

The Dolphins inked running back Jordan Howard to a two-year, $10m contract earlier this week and now find themselves with a backfield that includes Howard, Kalen Ballage, Patrick Laird, and Myles Gaskin.

Todd Gurley to the Chiefs? Twitter thinks it’s a good fit

Should the Kansas City Chiefs sign former Georgia football and Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley? Twitter likes the idea.

Where former Georgia running back Todd Gurley will go next is a mystery right now.

A one-time NFL superstar, Gurley was slowed down by an injured knee last season, but there’s no denying that he is still one of the premiere backs in the NFL.

There’s been talks of Gurley to the Falcons, I’ve seen the Dolphins as a potential destination as well.

But a team a lot of NFL fans in general want to see Gurley land with is the defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Gurley on the Chiefs would be fun to watch, so it makes sense that football fans want to see that happen.

Related: New Falcons DE Dante Fowler wants Todd Gurley to join him in Atlanta

Related: Twitter reacts to Todd Gurley being released

Related: Todd Gurley: ‘I got fired on my day off’

Add TG to a roster that already includes Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman and Travis Kelce, and that only makes the most entertaining offense in football even more exciting to watch.

I don’t see this happening, but hey, anything is possible.

Andy Reid would have a blast with Gurley on the roster.

Our friends at ChiefsWire helped explain how Kansas City would be able to afford this move:

Herbie Teope brings up a solid point: How will they pay for it? That’s the question everyone is asking when the Chiefs are connected to a free agent right now. The great thing about the salary cap is that it can easily be manipulated. Brett Veach has a few more moves that he can make to add cap space. Will it be enough to sign a player like Gurley, though? His contract had $2.5 million in offset language, meaning the Rams would get that money back when he signs with a team.

 

When Dez speaks, you listen.

 

 

New Falcons DE Dante Fowler wants Todd Gurley to join him in Atlanta

Dante Fowler, the newest member of the Atlanta Falcons, wants former Georgia football RB Todd Gurley to come home.

On Wednesday the Atlanta Falcons signed former Los Angeles Rams defensive end Dante Fowler, who had a breakout season in 2019 recording 11.5 sacks.

The next day, Fowler’s LA teammate, Todd Gurley, was released by the Rams. Gurley’s release sparked the newest Falcons pass rusher to take to Twitter in an effort to recruit Gurley to Atlanta.

Earlier this week, the Falcons released starting running back Devonta Freeman, meaning there is room for a ball carrier on the roster.

According to Adam Schefter, the Falcons were one of the teams that showed the most interest in Gurley while the Rams were looking to make a trade.

Falcons fans are getting more and more fed up with the franchise lately – the addition of Gurley could help to cool off some heated members of the fanbase.

Will the Falcons bring Gurley back to Georgia, where TG played his college ball from 2012-14?

Fingers crossed.

Former Georgia football RB Todd Gurley: “I got fired on my day off”

Gurley was two years into a contract with the Los Angeles Rams that included a $21 million signing bonus and $45 million in guarantees.

Following rumors of the Los Angeles Rams’ intention to trade tailback Todd Gurley, the organization decided to cut the former Georgia Bulldog standout the day before the team would’ve been contractually obligated to pay their 2014 first-round draft pick another $10.5 million.

L.A. will save $10.5 million against the cap. The Rams failed to find a trade destination; Gurley will now be free to sign with the team of his choosing for the first time in his NFL career.

Gurley was two years into a contract with the Los Angeles Rams that included a $21 million signing bonus and $45 million in guarantees.

Gurley, now a free agent, is free to find his own best fit.

Gurley didn’t seem blindsided and took the news in stride.

Several former teammates and competitors (along with Bulldogs and Rams faithful) provided predictions as to how Gurley’s future could and should unfold in coming weeks.

What’s next for Todd Gurley after being released by the Rams?

Which teams are expected to show the most interest in Gurley?

(Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley is being released in a move that allows the team to avoid paying him $10.5 million in what would have been guaranteed money as of March 20, even though it will result in a $2.9 million hit against LA’s 2020 salary cap.

His arthritic knee was apparent in a visible lack of explosiveness in 2019, which is bound to rule out many RB-needy teams from showing serious interest in Gurley. Compounding the problem, teams aren’t bringing in players for physicals right now, so unless something is worked out with his local medical evaluators, Gurley may be forced to wait longer than most remaining free agents before signing.

Teams that really could use him will have to take a long look at last year’s game tape. Gurley showed his sniffer for the end zone still works, but the dynamic plays were practically non-existent, and his receiving involvement was deliberately capped. He may be forced to take a one-year or incentive-laden deal, and don’t completely discount the idea of Gurley not being signed at all before Week 1. It may seem crazy, but we don’t know what kind of money he will request vs. how teams view his market to be at this time.

Presuming no team currently views him as “the man” anymore, Gurley will be asked to share reps. His versatility allows teams to utilize him as a full-time back on limited reps, a situational rusher (goal line, for example), or a pass-catching specialist. One easily can imagine his intent is to sign with a contender, as well.

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Buffalo Bills: Gurley would be a good mentor and change of pace for the more explosive Devin Singletary. Touchdowns galore would be in Gurley’s forecast as a Bill.

Kansas City Chiefs: Gurley could give the Chiefs what they thought LeSean McCoy was capable of delivering in 2019. Complementing Damien Williams is a need, but at what price?

Detroit Lions: Pairing him with the injury-prone Kerryon Johnson is somewhat risky but isn’t outlandish for a team in dire need of a consistent rushing attack.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs could be one of the leading contenders, although Melvin Gordon is a safer option with similar upside.

Miami Dolphins: Even after signing Jordan Howard, running back remains a moderate concern for an offense craving additional weaponry.

Atlanta Falcons: This one intrigues me a fair amount. Atlanta is arguably a contender with a few breaks going its way, and the backfield needs to be addressed. Cheaper and faster is probably how it will be done, though.

Of those teams, Buffalo would be the best-case scenario for Gurley’s fantasy football prospects.

Fantasy football outlook

As mentioned, he could help PPR gamers if a team chooses to run Gurley less and throw more passes his way. It stands to reason a player of his pedigree around the stripe should be relegated to such a role, perhaps exclusively.

We can speculate six ways to Sunday, but the reality boils down to this: If last year’s Gurley is the best we’re ever going to see again from him, regardless of the team, he is physically capped at being an inconsistent RB2 whose game is overly reliant on scoring touchdowns.

Twitter reacts: former Georgia football RB Todd Gurley cut by Rams

Reporters, Gurley’s former teammates, former Georgia lettermen, and other Georgia fans took to twitter to make sense of the news.

Following rumors of the Los Angeles Rams’ intention to trade tailback Todd Gurley, the organization decided to cut the former Georgia Bulldog standout the day before the team would’ve been contractually obligated to pay their 2014 first-round draft pick another $10.5 million.

L.A. will save $10.5 million against the cap. The Rams failed to find a trade destination and now Gurley will be a free agent for the first time in his NFL career.

Gurley was two years into a contract with the Los Angeles Rams that included a $21 million signing bonus and $45 million in guarantees.

Gurley, now a free agent, is free to sign with any NFL team of his choosing.

Reporters, Gurley’s former teammates, former foes, former Georgia lettermen, and other Georgia fans took to twitter to make sense of the news:

Los Angeles Rams release RB Todd Gurley

The Los Angeles Rams are releasing former Georgia Bulldog running back Todd Gurley. L.A. sought trades for Gurley, but couldn’t find one.

Todd Gurley is one the best running backs in the National Football League when healthy. Unfortunately for the Georgia Bulldog great, that pesky knee of Gurley’s has caused him issues, hindering his production and limiting his workload. In 2019, Gurley had career-lows in rushing yards (857) and attempts (223).

Now, the Los Angeles Rams are releasing Todd Gurley, their former first round pick. The official Rams Twitter account and ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced the news:

L.A. will save $10.5 million against the cap. The Rams failed to find a trade destination and now Gurley will be a free agent for the first time in his NFL career.

Gurley was two years into a contract with the Los Angeles Rams that included a $21 million signing bonus and $45 million in guarantees. With reduced production and a substantial contract, it is not shocking that the Rams looked to trade RB Todd Gurley according to Michael Silver:

A year after making the Super Bowl, Los Angeles foundered to a 9-7 record. Head coach Sean McVay and the Rams are looking to improve, but they had to get creative since they have limited draft capital and cap room.

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Gurley, since he’s been cut, will count for $20.15 million in dead money. The Rams are hampered for the future and were banking on Gurley. Hopefully, Gurley can return to form in time for the 2020 season.

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