The Los Angeles Rams made a bit of a surprising move this offseason when they decided to release star running back Todd Gurley despite him having four years remaining on the contract extension he signed a couple of years ago.
Gurley’s play declined in 2019 due to an arthritic knee condition that also limited him at the end of the 2018 season. He kept quiet all season long despite his lack of touches though, putting the success of the team ahead of himself.
With the Rams being able to save money by releasing Gurley now though, they decided to take the opportunity to free up some cap space to address other needs on the roster.
Gurley is now back in Georgia, where he played his college ball, after signing a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons. On a podcast with former teammate Chris Long, Gurley spoke about everything that led up to his release, including his lack of touches in 2019, via Vaughn McClure of ESPN:
“I try not to press the issue about nothing, so that’s just kind of, just sit back and do my job,” Gurley told Long about the decline in touches. “Like it’s not my job to tell who to give me the ball, so if it happens, it happens. I’m not going to bitch about anything. I’m just going to keep quiet and do my part. But when I get the ball, you know I’m going to do good with it for the most part, especially when stuff is going good. But I don’t know what happened, man. All I know is I’m with the Falcons now.”
While Gurley isn’t sure why the Rams decided to part ways, he does understand the business aspect of the NFL and has been able to take it with a smile on his face:
“I didn’t see it coming, but obviously I’ve seen the process over the years, so I understand the business and I understand how it goes,” Gurley said. “But I’m also the same type of person like when someone else is getting cut, I’m joking on them. So I can’t get mad if somebody jokes on me. I joke on myself all the time. If you knew me, you know that’s me. And it’s all jokes. It’s some truth to every little joke.
“But I’m still just having fun with it. And that’s the only thing I can do. Stuck in the house all day. I know people are drinking and having fun, so I’m going to have fun with y’all.”
If Gurley can’t play on the Rams, it is good to see that he is back in a familiar place in Atlanta.
Meanwhile in Los Angeles, the Rams will likely use a combination of Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown, as well as a draftee perhaps, to replace Gurley at running back in 2020.
