The Los Angeles Rams announced on Thursday that they are releasing All-Pro running back Todd Gurley. The move comes after the team spent much of the day exploring trade options for the star running back.
Gurley was set to be owed $10.5 million fully guaranteed at 4 p.m., with the Rams ultimately making the decision to cut him to get out of the money.
The 25-year-old running back, a first-team All-Pro selection in 2017 and 2018, signed a four-year, $57.5 million extension with Los Angeles in July of 2018. Now just over a year after signing the deal, the Rams are moving on from the running back who was the face of the franchise.
While Gurley showed signs of decline this past season, he still racked up 14 total touchdowns with 1,064 scrimmage yards. Despite his disappointing year in 2019, the star running back averaged nearly 1,700 total yards and 18 touchdowns across the past three seasons.
The move allows the Rams to avoid the $10.5 million that would have been owed to Gurley, but the decision to release him will not help the team’s cap space this season. However, it will create an additional $13 million in cap space for the Rams in 2021, per Over the Cap.