Todd Gurley has agreed to a groundbreaking deal to stay with the Los Angeles Rams. A lot of news has been breaking in the NFL before the upcoming season, with many players like Kam Chancellor and Darrelle Revis announcing retirement. However, other players have signed lucrative contracts to stay with their respective teams. The NFL season is inching closer by the day and it is looking to be an exciting one, with many teams looking like they can win it all. The Los Angeles Rams have secured one of their best players by agreeing to a huge contract with Todd Gurley.

The record-breaking deal

According to an article by ESPN, "the extension keeps Gurley under contract through 2023 but did not disclose financial terms. A source told Schefter that the deal is worth $60 million and includes $45 million guaranteed, the largest guarantee given to a running back." Gurley has been rewarded for his hard work and dedication to the franchise.

Todd Gurley will be playing on the final year of his rookie contract with the Rams, as reported by ESPN. The running back is clearly a vital piece to the team's offense and they saw that they needed to lock him up with a max deal. His production on the field speaks for itself, as last year, "playing in McVay's explosive system, rushing for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns while catching 64 passes for 788 yards and six more TDs." He was also named Rookie of the Year in 2015.

With head coach Jeff Fisher, Todd Gurley and quarterback Jared Goff struggled immensely under his system and coaching. After he was fired, the Rams hired Sean McVay, who implemented a new dynamic offense and both players had a terrific year.

The team's outlook

The Los Angeles Rams have a bright future ahead, with a lot of young talent.

They have gone through their ups and downs as a franchise, but now have one of the best offenses in the league, with one of the greatest running backs in the league today in Todd Gurley. According to an article by Bleacher Report, "'NFL Total Access' compared his production favorably to the numbers Adrian Peterson put up during his MVP season for the Minnesota Vikings in 2012." The team lost last year in the playoffs to the Atlanta Falcons, although they will be looking to finish stronger next year or even win it all.

The running back is a special player in the league as the big extension could be well worth it from the organizations' perspective. Todd Gurley is also still a young player at 23 years of age and could very well improve throughout his career. The Rams look pretty good for the upcoming season, as they got a great wide receiver in Brandin Cooks, who last played for the New England Patriots. According to ESPN, Brandin Cooks signed a "five-year, $80 million extension," to stay with the team. The team also made some good moves on the defensive side of the ball by signing veteran cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters.

A change for running backs

The deal could be groundbreaking for other running backs, providing leverage to make other organizations pay them.

Not a surprise to many, running backs specifically take a lot of hits and do not last long in the NFL. An example is DeMarco Murray, who went from being an explosive weapon years ago, to end up retiring after just seven years in the league. This is what causes the problem with payment. Another aspect is that backs are a dime a dozen, as an organization can get a great player at the position in the second or third round of the draft.

One running back who had something to say was Le'Veon Bell, who has been unable to get a deal done to remain a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and who has played under the franchise tag for quite some time now. After congratulating Todd Gurley on his new deal, Bell had this to say in a tweet: "lol and ppl thought I was trippin?[sic]"

The contract could be groundbreaking for other young running backs to get their money, like Ezekiel Elliot, David Johnson, Leonard Fournette, and Alvin Kamara.
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