Todd Gurley's Knee Issues Leave Rams Facing Difficult Future Decision
By Michael Luciano
Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley ran for 1,251 yards and piled up 21 touchdowns on a team that made the Super Bowl. Even with all of that, Gurley is arguably the team's biggest question mark going forward.
Given his arthritic knee and insane contract that he inked before the 2018 season, the Rams might have to make a decision regarding Gurley's future with the team. It may not sound like an ideal option, but if his knee injury continues to act up, LA may have to make a very difficult decision.
After 2019, the Rams will have to decide whether to let Todd Gurley walk away with $34.5 million after two years or allow another $10.5 million in guarantees to fully vest https://t.co/7cjBSGpZsl
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) June 7, 2019
If the Rams decide to cut Todd Gurley, they will be saving $10.5 million in guaranteed money on their star running back. The deadline to part ways will be the third day of the 2020 NFL league year, after which the team would owe him another $10.5 million. If he's cut, Gurley will have earned $34.5 million across two seasons under his current deal.
"I fear that this is the beginning of the end of Todd Gurley..."
— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) June 3, 2019
- @Terrell_Davis gives his personal experience on what might be happening to the #Rams RB pic.twitter.com/cYHqWUkCcP
If the Rams decide that Gurley's knee becomes too much of a headache, they wouldn't be totally bereft of options in the backfield, as they added former Memphis big-play back Darrell Henderson in the third round of the 2019 draft. They'd also likely pursue a running back in free agency in order to fill the void left behind by the former Georgia Bulldog.
At the end of the day, 2019 will be a make or break year for Gurley. No one can deny his talent, it's near unparalleled in the league, but his health concerns have been a headache for the Rams and limited him during pivotal games. No matter what they end up doing, LA has an extremely difficult decision looming.