Los Angeles Rams better take proper approach with Todd Gurley’s future contract

Sooner or later, the Los Angeles Rams will have to consider a potential new contract for Todd Gurley.

After a breakout season in 2017, Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams has arguably become one of the best running backs in the NFL. Whether it was the Offensive Rookie of the Year he took home two years ago to leading the league in touchdowns this past season, Gurley brings a lot to the table for the Rams.

In time, Los Angeles will need to strongly consider working on a new contract situation for Gurley since he’s going to want to be paid as one of the league’s top running backs. But when seeing how the Rams have handled the Aaron Donald situation, what could this mean for Gurley down the road?

Seeing what has transpired between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Le’Veon Bell with his contract situation, it may not look good for Gurley at the moment. The NFL has devalued the running back position, and because of this, there haven’t been as many players at the position receiving hefty paydays.

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In fact, Bell is the prime example of this. He has long desired a big contract and is on the verge of playing under the franchise tag for a second year in a row. Even if Bell has plenty of reasons to be happy to make $14.5 million, the star running back has made it clear that he wants $17 million per season.

As a comparison, the second highest paid running back this season will be Atlanta Falcons star Devonta Freeman at about $8.25 million, and Bell wants more than double that money. So when the time comes, will Gurley want as much as Freeman or will he think he’s as important as Bell is in Pittsburgh?

As mentioned before, when seeing how the Rams have handled the situation with Donald, the argument can be made there’s some reason for concern when it comes to Gurley’s future with the team. If the Rams wait to re-sign him, could this become a distraction during training camp and the regular season down the road?

The pressure is already on Los Angeles to win now more than ever when looking at all of the key additions made by the team this offseason.

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Sure, the Rams could play the waiting game with Gurley like they have with Donald, but if it results in the running back questioning his desire to stick around down the road, would all of this waiting on a potential new deal be worth it for the NFC West champions?