The Los Angeles Rams have been one of the most active teams in the league with several high-profile additions to their roster. This has brought forth questions concerning the future of a few core players with pending contract situations such as star defensive tackle Aaron Donald being in the fifth-year option, which has only been heightened by talk of a lucrative extension coming in the near future.
What has also been put in the spotlight has been All-Pro running back Todd Gurley now entering the fourth-year of his rookie deal that contains a fifth-year option worth $9.3 million. Despite that being the case, Gurley voiced on Monday that he is more than willing to wait for his turn to garner his lucrative contract with Los Angeles, according to Alex Marvez of Sporting News:
“Obviously, we know Aaron Donald is the guy to get paid,” Gurley told co-host Gil Brandt and me Monday night on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “That’s the last thing we want to worry about is trying to get ours done when we need our best player to get paid.”
Gurley has a clear understanding that Donald’s contract is more pending than his given that he is in the final year of his contract. The 26-year-old is also heading into the second offseason where it has been an underlying situation around the team that has only been intensified by him coming off a campaign that he earned his NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
Donald is in the prime of his career and has established himself as the anchor of the Rams’ defensive front over his first four seasons. He plays a vital role in the team’s effectiveness on that side of the ball, and keeping under a long-term would certainly work in the team’s best interest.
Once it is deemed appropriate by the front office to move forward for a new deal for Gurley, the team will likely move swiftly to keep one of the league’s best running backs for the long haul. For the time being, the attention is clearly on getting Donald signed to the deal that he his stellar play has earned.
