Revisiting the Kyren Williams situation

Will the Rams extend Kyren Williams?

It was reported earlier this offseason that the Los Angeles Rams and Kyren Williams were in conversation about a potential extension as the running back enters his final season on his rookie deal. It appears both sides are still far apart in negotiations and after drafting Jarquez Hunter with the 117th overall pick in this year’s draft, Williams and his agent may not have much to stand on as talks continue.

Jordan Rodrigue of the Atlantic reported before the NFL Draft that “Agreeing to terms could take time. Snead said that no contract this offseason won’t necessarily mean no contract at all where Williams is concerned, even if that means he plays out the final season on his existing deal.”

It seems likely that Williams will have to bet on himself and play through his final year after a mixed performance in 2024. He finished the season with 1299 yards rushing on 316 carries (the third highest attempts by a RB) but also only ran for 15+ yards six times and nearly led the league in fumbles (5) behind New England Patriot’s running back Rhamondre Stevenson (7). It is worth noting that he did finish tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns with 14 on the season and 81.2 yards per game.

He may not get the same number of opportunities to prove himself with the addition of Hunter. When talking about the pick, Les Snead had this to say in an interview with Rich Eisen,

“We do think the way this NFL season’s going — the amount of wear and tear that goes into playing running back — that having a committee, and a committee with different skill sets, only helps us continue being able to run the football like we want to run it.”

Blake Corum will be back after fracturing his right forearm in the finale against the Seattle Seahawks last season and should be able to build off his rookie campaign. Corum had just 58 attempts in 2024 but was able to move up the depth chart to backup Williams by the end of the season. There were flashes of explosiveness from the rookie that could get him more time in 2025.

Hunter should bring a different style to the running back room with 4.4 speed and a different kind of elusiveness than the other two RB’s ahead of him. He will likely also cut into William’s playing time if he can get up to speed with the playbook this offseason.

The Rams have switched up their philosophy in regard to how they handle the running back room. After signing Todd Gurely to a $60 million contract extension in 2018, they cut him in 2019 after a drop in performance and took a sizeable hit to their cap-space because of it. Instead of investing a large sum to the position, Snead has drafted a running back in each year of the draft in hopes of hitting on a talented player and get the most of them on a rookie-scale deal. Williams is the first to be worth extending since Gurley was on the team, but even then, it wouldn’t surprise me if LA decides to let him test the market next offseason and bet on the development of Corum and Hunter for the future.

What would you do if you were in Snead’s shoes? Are you signing Williams to an extension this offseason or let him earn his contract during the regular season? Let us know in the comments below!