3 reasons why the LA Rams had to release Todd Gurley

The LA Rams released running back Todd Gurley. Here are the three reasons why the team had to do so

As other NFL teams began the 2020 NFL Free Agency period headlining team additions, the LA Rams took the unique approach of making national news about who the team released. Of course, the player released by the Rams was their star running back Todd Gurley.

The LA Rams had painted themselves into a corner this offseason. The team’s contracts for ten unrestricted free agents expired.  The team also risked losing another eight players to other contractual reasons.  But worst of all, the team overcommitted significant amounts of the team’s 2020 allowance to a handful of players.  Running back Todd Gurley was still productive.  But his production on the field fell short of the compensation he was due to earn this year. So the Rams decided to release him.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one, as the team released OLB Clay Matthews, CB Nickell Robey-Coleman, DE Morgan Fox, OLB Josh Carraway, and CB Donte Deayon.  Add these names to the unrestricted free agents whose contracts expired and the Rams current roster predicament begins to well up anxiety.

That anxiety was spearheaded by the persistent rumors over the LA Ram continued relationship with running back Todd Gurley.  While many saw the writing on the wall, some remain confused to this day.  So let’s try to help out anyone who is still scratching their heads over this one.

Reason 3 – Production waning

When you have a superstar at any NFL skilled position, it’s hard to fight the feelings of “what’s wrong” when the player’s production descends to somewhere between good and very good level. For all of the talk of running back Todd Gurley being “washed up”, playing behind a very suspicious offensive line, and running the ball at his fewest number of carries in his entire career, he still scored 14 touchdowns.

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That was good for fifth place in the 2019 NFL scoring leaders.  Pause on that and contemplate for just a moment

But running backs run the ball. And in the elite class of Todd Gurley, he was very good at catching the ball as well. The problem was not that Gurley was not productive. The problem was Gurley’s production dropped dramatically, just as his compensation, or rather his impact on the team’s salary cap, was increasing just as dramatically.

Todd Gurley disappeared in the LA Rams playoff run in 2018. Injuries forced him to watch most of the action from the sidelines. When the team was hard-pressed by the media, the team assured everyone that Gurley’s workload would be managed better. And in terms of carries, it was.  But his offensive impact dropped from 21 TDs to 14. His rushing yards dropped from 1,251 to 857 yards. His receiving yards dropped from 580 to 207.  He was just two-thirds of his formal self. But his salary impact was scheduled to double in 2020.

Reason 2 – Rumored to be team distraction

The LA Rams devoted a lot of attention, both at the front office and among the coaching staff, to get Gurley back on track. Far more than the team could afford to direct.  Look at the team’s roster and the situation today.  The  LA Rams offensive line is well-staffed but has significant question marks that are deserved. The Rams defense is borderline rebuild mode. And the team’s coaching staff, while stable at positional coaches, has brought three new coordinators aboard.

But as the front office and coaching staff attempted to right the ship, the team was shackled to the fix being about Gurley, not about the fix being about the offense.  Todd Gurley wanted to contribute, and is fiercely competitive. This was not about Gurley’s attitude, but rather the economic reality – the team paid for something special at running back, so it was up to the coaches to deliver something special at running back.

NFL.com’s Michael Silver was on this story long before others. He wrote wonderful articles about the sense among the Rams organization that the team would make tough decisions in 2020. In order for the team to improve overall, the team had to stop trying so hard to resurrect the career of one player. The Rams offensive line was not tops among the NFL any longer, nor does the team have the cap space to sign marquis offensive linemen. In a 2020 NFL Draft bursting with running back talent, this is a good time to reinvest in new talent for the future.

Reason 1 – A horrendous contract

In today’s NFL, running backs are no longer the highest-paid players in the league. Unfortunately, the LA Rams did not get the memo before the team signed running back Todd Gurley to a massive extension, filled with salary guarantees, roster bonuses, and heavy compensation.

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The largest salary cap hit for any running back in the NFL besides Gurley was the New York Jets’ contract for $15.5 million with Le’Veon Bell. And of course, having quarterback Sam Darnold on a rookie contract gives them the financial flexibility to do so.  In 2020, the Rams tied up over $36 million in 2020 over quarterback Jared Goff, then topped that off with a $17.5 million hit for Gurley. Since we are there, we might as well shine the spotlight on WR Brandin Cooks‘ horrendous $16.8 million 2020 salary-cap impact as well.

All three players are among the top compensated NFL players for their respective positions. And all three had huge downturns in production for 2019. Whatever the cause, the Rams eliminated any fighting chance of getting an easy fix installed on the fly this offseason.

The contract business was not Gurley’s fault. His agent negotiated to get his client the best deal possible. Gurley simply signed on the bottom line. But much like employers who overhire new staff, only to lay them off within six months, the team signed multiple contracts with excessive guarantees which will now force the team to part ways with productive players and prevent the team from signing those who could contribute in 2020.

The Rams parted ways with Todd Gurley in 2020. But the team also parted ways with many other players, some of whom wanted to stay. In the end, it wasn’t Gurley’s fault that he signed a huge contract. And in that perspective, it’s not the Rams fault that the team had no choice but to release him.