Los Angeles Rams picking up fifth-year option on Todd Gurley was easy decision

(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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Picking up the fifth-year option for Todd Gurley was one of the easiest decision the Los Angeles Rams could have made this offseason.

No matter what takes place over the weekend when the 2018 NFL Draft gets underway, the Los Angeles Rams will go down as one of the biggest winners of the offseason when looking at all of the big moves made through trades and free agency. However, it looks like the Rams are continuing to win the offseason by taking care of last year’s runner up to MVP in Todd Gurley.

After failing to record a single 100-yard rushing season in 2016, there were plenty of football fans that quickly wrote off Gurley as a top running back in the NFL, even if it wasn’t entirely his fault. Between a horrendous offensive line along with Los Angeles trailing in most games, it was unfair for Gurley to receive the blame that he did during his sophomore campaign.

Luckily, the former Georgia star didn’t let all of this negativity get the best of him after putting together the best season of his career in 2017 by finishing with 2,093 yards from the line of scrimmage to go along with 21 total touchdowns. Clearly, playing in an offense run by Sean McVay helped bring the best out of Gurley along with the rest of his teammates, so to see the Rams reward their star running back by picking up his fifth-year option was obviously a no brainer.

While Los Angeles has been facing a ton of criticism for failing to reward Aaron Donald with a new contract to avoid another situation like last year, it’s been a sign of relief to see Gurley understand that his time will come for a new contract. Assuming Gurley continues to play at a high level like last year, the Rams running back is well aware it’s only a matter of time before his big day comes, and the most important factor right now is to be unselfish over his contract situation to help the team live up to the Super Bowl hype.

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If Gurley’s first season playing in McVay’s system is any indication of what the future holds, Los Angeles is going to take care of their beloved running back when the time comes down the road. Without question, Gurley is a valuable member of this offense, and the Rams are well aware that keeping him happy has the chance to keep them legitimate contenders for 2018 and beyond.