Los Angeles Rams: Todd Gurley sending message with comments on Le’Veon Bell

It’s only a matter of time before the Los Angeles Rams will need to make a decision on Todd Gurley’s contract situation.

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley was dealing with some extra pressure around this time last year, as the former Georgia star was coming off a season to forget in 2016 where he failed to record a single 100-yard rushing game.

When considering the hype one season after taking home Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, it was easy to understand some of the frustration towards Gurley, but also it wasn’t entirely his fault.

Between the Rams as a team struggling for the most part by averaging just 14 points per game along with a poor offensive line and a weak receiving corps, it’s easy to understand why Gurley struggled as much as he did. At the end of the day, Gurley was the only reliable option on offense for Los Angeles, and opponents took full advantage of it.

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With that being said, it was amazing to see how much of a different player Gurley was when Sean McVay improved those previously weak areas during his first year as head coach in 2017, allowing the Rams star running back to display his true skills.

After finishing his third NFL season with 2,093 yards to go along with 19 touchdowns, expectations are higher than ever for Gurley heading into the 2018 season, especially when looking at all of the Super Bowl hype surrounding Los Angeles.

Based off last season’s success, there’s every reason to believe Gurley will come through with another strong year in 2018, and if that does end up being the case, the Rams could have another interesting contract situation on their hands.

Back in April, Los Angeles made the easy decision of exercising Gurley’s fifth-year option, but what will happen beyond 2019 is a different story.

Over the last couple of weeks, Gurley hasn’t been shy about chiming in on contracts in the NFL when looking at some of the ridiculous money NBA players are making, and the current situation with Le’Veon Bell brings out even more frustrating.

The fact that a talented running back like Bell will be forced to play under the franchise tag for a second year in a row is sort of ridiculous since the Pittsburgh Steelers should want to keep their offense in solid shape for years to come, even if they do believe deep down he’s replaceable.

Gurley along with numerous other players in the league completely understand the frustration on Bell’s end since running backs sometimes struggle to receive the hefty deals they clearly deserve since players at that position don’t always end up being as effective later in their careers.

However, if the Rams were smart, they would take note about what Gurley had to say about the situation when talking to Taylor Bisciotti from the NFL Network at the Gatorade Athlete of the Year awards this week.

"“As a player I definitely feel where he’s coming from,” Gurley said. “I don’t know exactly what he wants. But if he did what he did I’m pretty sure in his mind he did the right thing. I definitely stand behind him and definitely support him. I wanted him to get that long-term deal but unfortunately it didn’t work out. He’s playing on the tag for the second time, which is not bad at all, but you know you just want that security. It’s definitely a sad situation for a guy to be a top-three back since he’s came into the league and put in the work and can’t even get the money that he deserves. Definitely a sad situation.”"

For obvious reasons, this is the last situation the Rams want to find themselves in with Gurley when the time comes since last year’s holdout involving Aaron Donald is the perfect example of why they should want to avoid this as much as possible due to all of the uncertainty.

If a team like Los Angeles was willing to reward Brandin Cooks with a five-year, $80 extension despite the fact that he’s never even suited up for a single game yet for the team, paying Gurley the money he deserves, even if it ends up being much more, shouldn’t even be an issue.

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Thanks to last year’s surprise success under McVay, the Rams are in a great position to be strong contenders in the NFC for years to come, but all of that could quickly change if Gurley were to all of a sudden no longer be part of the picture. Los Angeles may have time before they have to address Gurley’s contract situation, but if the team were smart, they would already begin planning for the future after his recent comments to make sure there are no issues down the road.