Todd Gurley wanted to choose his next team, not be traded to whoever was willing to make a deal for him. Had he been open to the idea, he might have finished his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Joining The 2510 Show Thursday, Gurley said the Los Angeles Rams floated trading him to a team like Pittsburgh late in his career. An idea he promptly rejected.
“I knew they were either going to cut me or they was going to try and trade me,” Gurley said of the Rams’ plan. “If they were going to try and trade me, they said something like Buffalo or Pittsburgh. I’m like, ‘Fuck no. Cut me.’ But yeah, I knew something was going to happen.”
Gurley signed a high-priced contract with the Rams in July 2018, worth $60 million over four years. He didn’t see even half of that deal. Arthritic knees quickly sapped the speed and explosiveness that made him a dangerous runner, traits that made him a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. In his prime, he rushed for over 1,200 yards and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 2017 and 2018.
By 2019, his yards per carry fell by nearly a full yard from the year prior. Though he still regularly found the end zone, he wasn’t close to his peak form and his knees were creating a short end to his career. It left the Rams looking for an exit strategy and apparently, they discussed trades with other teams. Those conversations evidently included the Steelers.
But with a large contract and Gurley’s displeasure of being moved, the Rams cut him in March 2020. He signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons three weeks later and though he rushed for nearly 700 yards and nine touchdowns, his game continued to decline. By the time he was 27, despite visits with Baltimore and Detroit, his NFL career was over.
Pittsburgh’s apparent interest, though ostensibly casual, made some measure of sense. Mike Tomlin has an affinity for big and powerful running backs with pedigree, and Todd Gurley checked those boxes. Going into 2020, James Conner was also entering the final year of his rookie deal and wouldn’t be brought back after the year. Instead of making a play for Gurley, the Steelers drafted Najee Harris in the first round of the 2021 draft.
Ultimately, the Steelers made a wise move not pursuing Gurley more than whatever conversations they had with the Rams. The writing on the wall was Gurley’s career was quickly winded down. In the interview, he admitted he considered retiring after being cut by the Rams, though he gave it one more shot with the Falcons. Besides, as Gurley told it in 2019, he hated the Steelers growing up. Born a Ravens fan, Pittsburgh and Gurley were a combination that wouldn’t have worked.
