It wasn’t long ago that Todd Gurley was arguably the best running back in the NFL. He was paid as such before the 2018 season, signing a four-year extension worth $14.4 million per year. He rewarded the Rams with another All-Pro campaign that year, but everything has gone downhill since he missed a few games at the end of the 2018 season and was limited during their run to the Super Bowl.
His lack of production last season has created speculation that the Rams might try to move him in a trade this offseason. It won’t be easy, given the size and length of his contract, but that hasn’t stopped the rumors from swirling.
Sean McVay said at the combine that he’s going to sit down with Gurley to discuss the plan for 2020, which isn’t exclusive to the star running back. It’s just that Gurley doesn’t seem excited about the looming sit-down and may not feel it’s necessary.
“It just depends on what the conversation is about,” he told Rich Hammond of The Athletic. “I’m more of a guy where, if there ain’t nothing to talk about, then there ain’t nothing to talk about. But if we’ve got something to talk about, then we can talk. That’s kind of my perspective. Coach got my number. Coach got my number.”
Gurley was visibly frustrated with his role last season, even if neither he nor the team will admit it. He was asked repeatedly about his lingering knee injury, which elicited one-word and brief responses to the media. It was a noticeable change from the year prior when Gurley was happy to speak to reporters at press conferences.
Gurley says he doesn’t have anything to get off his chest, saying, “I know what I’m capable of in football. I know the stuff where I can get better.” That being said, he knows the business side of the NFL.
“Like we said, football is a business, so anything can happen, but you’ve got to understand it as a player and not take it personally,” he added. “You take it personally to a certain extent, but you also be grateful for whatever opportunity you’ve got. I know it sounds cliche, but you literally just control what you can control. As long as my teammates know who I am as a person and stuff like that, I don’t really care about what other people think. The ones that know, know. All that stuff sounds cliche, but that’s kind of how it is.”
It sure sounds like Gurley knows a move could happen this offseason, but he should also realize the difficulty of trading a banged-up running back making $14.4 million per year. If the Rams are set on trading Gurley, they should be prepared to get no more than a Day 2 pick in return.
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