Ram Digest

‘It Sucks!’ Is Rams Coach Sean McVay to Blame for Shrinking RB Market?

Free agent running back Melvin Gordon blames the lack of a market at the position on the Los Angeles Rams and coach Sean McVay due to their handling of Todd Gurley

Jon Alfano

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The running back position was once seen as one of the most valuable positions in football, but now, it is arguably the least valuable.

In recent years, NFL teams have made a trend out of parting ways with star running backs while they are still producing at a high level. This offseason alone, Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette and Kareem Hunt, all previous 1,000-yard rushers in their late 20s, are still without a deal for the upcoming season. 

Additionally, running back salaries have also declined in recent years. The evidence is in the franchise tag value, which is the average of the top five salaries at a specific position. Every position has seen a noticeable rise in franchise tag value, except for running back. According to Spotrac, the franchise tag value for running backs peaked at just over $12.1 million in 2017, but is now at just under $10.1 million this year and bottomed out at around $8.65 million in 2021. 

There's no denying that the running back market is in a rough spot, although what caused this decline is debatable. According to free agent running back Melvin Gordon, though, the blame lies on the Los Angeles Rams and coach Sean McVay. Gordon says that running back is "literally the worst position to play in the NFL right now," and he believes this decline stems from the Rams' treatment of former running back Todd Gurley.

“In my opinion, I think after Todd got paid and then Sean McVay came out and said, ‘I will never pay a running back again; I’ll just use them and rotate them out,’ I think after that statement was made — and then I think they won the Super Bowl — it was like everybody just followed suit, I think,” Gordon said on the Jim Rome Show. “I kind of think that’s where everything just started going downhill.”

Gurley, the No. 10 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, had a special start to his career. In his first four seasons with the Rams, he earned three Pro Bowl selections, two first-team All-Pro selections, Offensive Rookie of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year awards and even finished as the MVP runner-up in 2017. The Rams rewarded Gurley for his outstanding production, signing him to a four-year extension worth $57.5 million.

After that extension, though, Gurley couldn't find the same success. Gurley was diagnosed with arthritis in his left knee in 2019, and that condition significantly impacted his production going forward. His yards per touch dropped from 5.8 in 2018 to just 4.2 in 2019. 

The Rams released Gurley in March 2020, just two years after making him the highest-paid running back in the league, and with three-years left on his contract. He then played one season with the Atlanta Falcons before retiring from the NFL.

Gordon, who was taken five spots after Gurley in the 2015 draft, makes some bold claims in blaming the Rams and McVay, but they may not be entirely accurate. McVay has never said that he won't pay a running back again, at least not publicly. While the Gurley extension aged poorly, that's largely due to his arthritic knee and not the fault of him or the Rams.

Gordon certainly has a point about the running back market drying up, but blaming McVay and the Rams is a tad presumptuous.

You can follow Jonathan Alfano on Twitter @JonAlfano_News

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

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