On Thursday afternoon, the LA Rams cut their star running back Todd Gurley II. This is an unfortunate ending for Gurley’s tenure in Los Angeles as he was known as one of the best running backs in the league from 2015 until about the end of the 2018 season. Due to injuries the last couple years, Gurley had struggled to find consistency and the Rams had a decision to make.
Gurley signed a four-year, $60 million ($45 million guaranteed) contract extension with the Rams in July, 2018. The last few months, the Rams were continuously shopping Gurley trying to find a trade partner, but no deal came to fruition. The Rams had to act today and release him before his $10.5 million contract bonus hits (BleacherReport). Since their Super Bowl loss in 2019, the Rams have made some bad decisions when it comes to the roster. Instead of evenly distributing the money to the whole roster, they have been giving huge contracts to a few players and the rest of the roster has suffered. Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks and Tyler Higbee are owed large amounts of money the next couple years, and will eventually have to extend Jalen Ramsey and Cooper Kupp soon. Clay Matthews was also released by LA today to free up a little more cap space. Malcolm Brown will likely start the 2020/21 season as the starting RB for the Rams.
Enough about the Rams, what is next for Todd Gurley? There should be plenty of suitors for the former star running back, with a lot of teams thinking it could be a low risk/high reward signing. The Miami Dolphins are a team in need of a RB, with only Kalen Ballage and Patrick Laird as their RB’s. They had the worst rushing attack last season in the league, and he would be a significant upgrade. He also knows how to play with a young franchise QB (Jared Goff), and the Dolphins are planning on either starting Josh Rosen (although his Dolphins future seems uncertain) or they plan on drafting a QB this summer. The only downside for Gurley is Miami is not a team who can contend right now. The Buffalo Bills are another option who could be in on Gurley, as they could split carries with him and Devin Singletary. Buffalo has a lot of cap space as well, but no indications yet as to if they would be interested. Another interesting option is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are in need of some more big names with the addition of Tom Brady. Peyton Barber is a free agent, and new HC Bruce Arians is known for the passing game. Since Tampa has some financial restrictions, they would be a good option to get Gurley for a lower price. Chicago Bears need an upgrade at the RB position, so they should be in play as well. Right now, it is a little too early to tell where he is going to go. As the days progress, we will find out which teams are showing interest. In my opinion, the Dolphins and the Buccaneers are the more likely front-runners, with the Bears, Bills and Texans right behind them. Who knows, there could be a sleeper team like the crosstown rival LA Chargers who are prepared to move on without Melvin Gordon, but they do have Austin Ekeler. Give us your thoughts on where TG4Hunnid could be headed next!!