Kyren Williams will carry the ball for the Rams this season and beyond.
On Tuesday, the Rams and the fourth-year pro agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension, a person with knowledge of the situation said. The person requested anonymity because the deal has not been signed.
The extension includes about $23 million in guarantees, the person said.
Williams’ extension is the first by the Rams for a running back since they gave Todd Gurley a then-record deal in 2018.
The Rams and Williams’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, had been negotiating since the end of the 2024 season. General manager Les Snead had said the Rams would “definitely like to engineer a long-term partnership,” with Williams. Coach Sean McVay agreed.
But progress was slow.
Regardless of Williams’ value to them, with huge extensions for players such as receiver Puka Nacua, defensive lineman Kobie Turner and edge rusher Jared Verse expected to be awarded in the next few years, the Rams were not going to overpay for a running back.
The question was whether Williams would agree to terms, or play out the final year of his rookie contract and test the free-agent market.
Williams, who will turn 25 on Aug. 26, said several times during the offseason that the Rams were the only team he wanted to play for.
“I don’t want to go play for anybody else besides the Los Angeles Rams, coach McVay, under Les Snead and just around all my teammates I’ve been with the last three or four years,” Williams said during an appearance in New Orleans before the Super Bowl. “I hope that we can get that done, and I hope it doesn’t take away from all the other stuff that’s going on with the Rams, and we can get that over with and get back to focusing on ball.”
Williams, a 2022 fifth-round draft pick from Notre Dame, is scheduled to earn $5.4 million in the final season of his rookie contract, according to Overthecap.com.
“I do this not for the money, fame, or popularity but to take care of my family,” Williams said when he reported for training camp last month. “For me, it’s a lot bigger than the contract negotiations, it’s putting my feet on the ground and continuing to get better, continuing to keep being who I am as a person, as a player, as an athlete, as a teammate, and as a brother.”
Williams, a 2023 Pro Bowl selection, rushed for more than 1,100 yards in each of the last two seasons. In 2023, he scored 15 touchdowns. Last season, he scored 16 as the Rams advanced to the NFC divisional round before losing to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Williams is an integral part of an offense that features quarterback Matthew Stafford, receiver Davante Adams and Nacua. With a defense led by Turner and Verse, the Rams will be regarded as a Super Bowl contender if the back issue that sidelined Stafford for training camp does not adversely affect his play.
Teammates said Williams is as valuable in the huddle as he is when carrying the ball.
“The fiery nature you see, the enthusiasm that you see, that’s just who he is as a person and there’s no faking that,” veteran offensive tackle Rob Havenstein said at the start of training camp. “That’s what you love about Kyren. Honestly, the way he goes about his business, you forget that there’s even contract negotiations just because he’s been the same guy from Day 1 since he’s walked in.”
Williams was animated during training camp workouts, inspiring players on offense and jawing with defensive players.
“He looks explosive,” McVay said. “He’s got this great energy that everybody thrives off of. I think he’s really understanding how to really be able to set the example with his play and with the way that he goes about his daily rhythm.”
Williams leads a running back corps that includes second-year pro Blake Corum, veteran Ronnie Rivers and rookie Jarquez Hunter, a fourth-round pick from Auburn.
The Rams will hold a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday in Oxnard.
Throughout the offseason and training camp, Williams never wavered in his confidence that a deal with the Rams would get done.
And now it has.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
