LOS ANGELES (AP) — Running back Kyren Williams agreed to a three-year, $33 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday, a person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Rams hadn’t yet announced their deal with Williams, their productive starter for the past two seasons. The deal includes $23 million in guaranteed money.
Williams has produced back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons as the Rams’ starting running back, and he made the Pro Bowl in 2023 while finishing third in the NFL in yards rushing. He has rushed for 2,582 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 464 yards receiving and five more TDs over three seasons as a versatile component of Sean McVay’s offense.
Williams reported to training camp last month as scheduled, and he has participated in all practices instead of holding out as he headed into the final year of his rookie deal. The fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame said he never seriously considered a holdout or a hold-in, preferring to keep his focus on producing for the Rams.
“I want to play for the Rams,” said Williams, a boyhood Rams fan from St. Louis. “That’s who I want to stay with, and I know it will work out.”
Williams is due to make $5.34 million this season in the final year of his rookie deal, and he will remain the lynchpin of the Rams’ running game even though the team has invested in the running back position with more enthusiasm than most opponents in recent seasons.
Los Angeles general manager Les Snead has drafted a running back in eight consecutive drafts, and he now has one of the NFL’s top-10 highest-paid running backs despite drafting Blake Corum in the third round in 2023 and trading up to pick Jarquez Hunter in the fourth round last April.
Williams had career highs of 1,299 yards rushing and 14 rushing touchdowns last season, accounting for a league-high 73.6% of the Rams’ rushing output. But he also fumbled five times in the regular season and again in the postseason, and Williams has been working on grip strength during the offseason to avoid a repeat.
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