Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams is looking for a new contract as he enters the final year of his rookie deal, and the organization wants to extend him. Entering the league as a humble fifth-round pick, the Notre Dame product overcame an unremarkable rookie season to post consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2023 and 2024.
Despite his strong play, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports that the Los Angeles Rams will not reset the market with Kyren Williams next contract. While they are interested in giving him a new deal, they won’t exceed the $15 million per year threshold.
Quite frankly, it’s easy to see why they won’t do this. Los Angeles famously signed Todd Gurley to a massive extension in 2018 and watched as injuries ended his career in short order. Williams isn’t nearly as good as Gurley at the peak of his career, and a similar fate could befall such an injury-plagued position. Kyren Williams will likely remain a Ram for the 2025 season, but one of the following teams could sign him to a massive contract at this point next year.
Rams Won’t Sign Kyren Williams To Market-Setting Contract
2026 Team Fits
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs will ride out the season with Isiah Pacheco as their starting running back. However, the former seventh-round pick is nothing special as a talent, and Andy Reid’s squad could look for an upgrade at this point next year. While extending star guard Trey Smith will be their top priority, the team could also hand out a new contract to Kyren Williams. Reid’s scheme is one of the best in the league for running backs, but he hasn’t had a player capable of making the most of these opportunities since Kareem Hunt in 2018.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos will only sign Kyren Williams to a massive contract if RJ Harvey disappoints as a rookie. The second-round pick has an impressive skillset, but nobody in the draft community thought he would be a second-round pick in such a loaded class. Perhaps Payton saw something the rest of the world didn’t, but if consensus is correct, this team could use a more traditional runner to pair with Harvey. If nothing else, Williams and Harvey could be a poor man’s version of the Mark Ingram-Alvin Kamara backfield Payton utilized with New Orleans.
New Orleans Saints
Speaking of the Saints, first-year head coach Kellen Moore has always utilized the running back position during his time as an offensive coordinator. While this team has more glaring holes on the roster, Alvin Kamara isn’t getting younger and Kendre Miller has not done anything to establish himself as a potential starter. While they might have to get creative to make a contract work, Kyren Williams could be the next featured back for this offense.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – Imagn Images
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