After getting Matthew Stafford’s contract done earlier this offseason, the Los Angeles Rams turned their attention to Kyren Williams, who’s in the final year of his rookie deal. Williams isn’t holding out for an extension or demanding a raise, but the two sides have had ongoing negotiations about a deal that will keep the young running back in L.A. a bit longer.
Sean McVay provided an update on Williams’ situation Tuesday from Maui and he said progress has been made. It’s clear the Rams want to keep Williams in the mix long-term and they could be getting closer to finding a middle ground on a deal that works for both parties.
“There’s been a lot of back and forth. There’s been some good proposals on both sides,” McVay said. “We are getting closer to hopefully finding a conclusion to this. Now, until that’s actually agreed upon from both sides, we’re really in the same boat. But behind the scenes, there’s been really good dialogue from Drew (Rosenhaus), really good dialogue from Kyren and his group overall. He’s done everything in his power to show up, be that pro, that leader, everything we’ve asked. We’re trying to be able to solve that, and if we’re able to land that, we’ll be excited about that but no different than really kind of when we spoke about this last week. But I think behind the scenes, there has been progress in terms of getting closer to what the end goal is and that’s to be able to get him under contract. Whether that occurs or not, we’ll see and we’ll take that a day at a time and a conversation at a time.”
As of now, Williams is set to make $5.346 million this season – a significant raise from his $985,000 salary in 2024. That’s thanks to proven performance escalators from the NFL, which reward players drafted outside the first round with raises for playing significant snaps or earning Pro Bowl selections.
After this season, Williams is set to be a free agent, which is why the Rams are looking to sign him before his contract expires. If he hits free agency in March, his price could go up, particularly if he has another big season in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams and Kyren Williams making progress on contract extension
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
