5 Key NFL Stories: 7/22/18 – 7/29/18

Todd Gurley resets the running back market. The Rams still haven’t extended All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, but they have locked up parts of their offensive core. After inking receiver Brandin Cooks to a new deal earlier this month, Los Angeles signed Gurley to a four-year extension that will keep him in southern California through 2023. The deal is worth $57.5MM in total, and Gurley’s new average annual value of $14.375MM is the new league-high for a running back on a multi-year pact. Gurley’s deal will now surely affect negotiations for other running backs such as David Johnson, Le’Veon Bell, and Ezekiel Elliott, each of whom will hit free agency within the next few years.

Offensive tackles get paid. Three left tackles — the Titans’ Taylor Lewanthe Falcons’ Jake Matthews, and the Seahawks’ Duane Brown — each received new five-year contracts last week, and both deals should help propel the offensive tackle market forward. Lewan, notably, will collect an average salary of $16MM annually, a new high-water mark for tackles (Nate Solder got $15.5MM/year from the Giants this offseason). Although Lewan had skipped minicamp, he reported for Tennessee’s training camp last week, which may have sped up negotiations.

Julio Jones get a raise. Although talks looked on the verge of a breakdown at one point, the Falcons finally relented and agreed to bump up Jones’ compensation for the 2018 campaign. Jones, who had not reported for many of Atlanta’s offseason activities and was threatening to skip training camp, received a $4.4MM signing bonus. The reworking will give Jones more money for the upcoming campaign, but won’t overly affect the Falcons’ books for years to come. Jones, 29, is signed through the 2020 season.

Chargers’ bad luck continues. The Chargers just can’t seem to get away from the injury bug, and cornerback Jason Verrett has been especially afflicted. Verrett, who missed most of the 2016 and 2017 seasons with knee injuries, will be sidelined for the entire 2018 campaign after tearing his Achilles during a conditioning drill. A former first-round pick, Verrett will have only played in 25 of a possible 80 games by the time the 2018 season is over. Verrett will reach free agency next spring, and his injury issues will almost assuredly affect his next contract.

A safety gets signed! There was finally movement in the safety market last week, as the Cardinals signed Tre Boston to a one-year deal. The pact is worth just $1.5MM, and Boston can max out at $3MM overall. It’s a cheap contract for a 26-year-old defensive back coming off the best season of his career, but safeties have had an especially difficult time getting signed this offseason. Eric Reid (whose status may be affected by his national anthem protest stance) and Kenny Vaccaro are among the best back end defenders still available.

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