Tuesday 24 July 2018 20:55, UK
Running back Todd Gurley has agreed to a lucrative four-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Rams.
Rams general manager Les Snead confirmed the new deal Tuesday for the NFL's offensive player of the year.
The Rams did not announce the financial terms of the deal, but NFL Network has reported the extension is worth $60m through to 2023.
"What a special player he is," head coach Sean McVay told reporters of Gurley in a press conference shortly after the news broke.
"I think last year's production isn't really a reflection of the value that he provides because he did such a great job, but he's so much more than that to our team - the way that he competes in protection, the way that he works and the way that rubs off on his teammates."
The deal makes Gurley the highest-paid running back in the NFL, surpassing Le'Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will earn $14.5m this season in his second consecutive year playing under the franchise tag.
Bell turned down a five-year $70m extension offer from the Steelers this offseason.
The $15m per year average resets the running back contract market and is good news for other stars at the position such as David Johnson of the Arizona Cardinals and Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys who will soon be seeking new contracts.
Gurley was a league standout in his third NFL season while playing in first-year coach Sean McVay's explosive offense. He rushed for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns while catching 64 passes for 788 yards and six more TDs.
The Georgia product was the offensive rookie of the year in 2015 for the St. Louis Rams.
Los Angeles also have been making an effort to re-sign reigning Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, who is entering the fifth-year option of his rookie contract and held out of training camp last year in search of a new deal.
He is not expected to report to camp this year until he has a new contract, but McVay said Gurley's deal "doesn't have any effect" on Donald's contract situation.
"We're simultaneously working to make Aaron a Ram a long time," Snead added, saying the sides still have time to get a deal done before camp.
"That's the goal. I know we'll get questions about him, but Aaron's a big part of who we are and where we want to go. ... We're going to continue working to get something done with Aaron."
A CBS Sports report last week said Donald has been telling people he expects to have a deal done before the start of training camp. Veterans officially report to camp Wednesday, after rookies and quarterbacks reported Monday. Donald is expected to become the highest-paid defender in football whenever a deal gets done.
