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Todd Gurley was a first-round pick, 10th overall selection by the Los Angeles Rams (St. Louis Rams) in the 2015 NFL Draft. Gurley was the first running back selected that year. He also held the highest running back pick out of Georgia.
An unspoken rule in the NFL is to not waste a high draft pick on running backs. Gurley was an exception but it was perhaps not the Rams' wisest decision. The investment needed to receive a quality running back hardly requires a first-round pick, especially not a top-10 overall selection.
Gurley was an excellent player for several seasons, which put the team in a catch 22 situation. The running back grew into an exceptional player leading in yards and touchdowns from scrimmage in his third season.
Gurley compiled 6,430 total yards (5.2 yards per touch) and 56 touchdowns in 58 games over four seasons.
Todd Gurley has one of the biggest contracts in the NFL
The Rams handed Todd Gurley a four year 60-million-dollar contract extension. Gurley made good on the contract and posted 1,831 yards from scrimmage in 2018.
Gurley, once the greatest running back in the game, can't dominate as he used to. During Gurley's three seasons in Georgia, he averaged 7.38 yards and added at least one play of 75 yards or longer in each of the campaigns.
Two years before Todd Gurley's extension kicked in, the running back suffered a knee injury that hampered his running abilities. Despite that, he led the Rams to a low-scoring loss in the Super Bowl.
The Rams, however, made the difficult decision to cut Todd Gurley rather than pay the running back $10.5 million that would have been due to him. This enabled them to save 5.5 million against the salary cap with his release. The decision came after Gurley's numbers dropped, and concerns grew about the health of his knee.
Todd Gurley was one of the highest-paid running backs, but the Rams ended his contract, which led to 20.5 million dollars in dead money charges.
After the Rams, Gurley signed a one-year, 5.5 million dollar contract with the Atlanta Falcons. Their contract deal included a 2 million dollar signing bonus and $500,000 in incentives if he has 13 touchdowns or 1,000 rushing yards.
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