Slowed by knee injuries during his last few seasons on the field, Todd Gurley sounds as if he is in no hurry to return.
Though the former All-Pro running back has made no official announcement regarding his NFL future, recent comments lean to him having hung up his cleats.
"There was never not one time where I watched a game and was like, 'I wish I was out there,'" Gurley said, via LX.com’s Mike Gavin. "I appreciated my time in the league and I've done things I could have never even dreamed about."
Gurley sat out the duration of the 2021 season and watched his former squad, the Los Angeles Rams, win the Super Bowl, but even that, apparently, didn't make him homesick for the gridiron.
"Happy for guys like AD (Aaron Donald) that really work hard," said Gurley, who went to three Pro Bowls in his six NFL seasons and earned a pair of All-Pro nods. "Guys like Jalen Ramsey that put in work. Obviously gotta go with all my running back guys, seeing guys like Cam Akers come back from an Achilles in four months. Sony Michel getting traded from the Patriots, not only did he beat the Rams in the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, he's also won one with them, as well. Guys like Darrell Henderson. So, you always get excited for the guys. It's never just about you. Yeah, everyone would love a ring. But at the end of the day, it's about being able to congratulate and then see other guys succeed and being happy for them."
Still just 27 years old, Gurley's career reached its zenith in 2018 when he was very much the engine that drove the Rams to a Super Bowl berth. He tallied an NFL-high 17 rushing touchdowns and ran for 1,251 yards in 14 regular-season games.
Troubled by knee injuries, Gurley quickly fell from grace and was cut by the Rams following a 2019 showing in which he rushed for a then-career-low 857 yards.
Gurley found a home with Atlanta for a season in 2020, but averaged just 3.5 yards per carry in rushing for 678 yards in 15 games. During the 2021 offseason, Gurley had visits with the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens, but nothing stuck.
Recently, Gurley became a part-owner of the Fan Controlled Football league's Beasts, which is also owned by Marshawn Lynch.
With career earnings of $51.5 million, according to Over the Cap, Gurley seems to be enjoying life at his speed and offers no regrets about his playing days being behind him.
He didn't lock the door on a potential comeback, but certainly seems content watching the game for now, rather than playing it.
"I like doing stuff on my time," he said. "I like doing whatever I want to do. I've never been the one that liked to be controlled. I like to be in control of my own path. That's the best thing about being in the position I'm in. If I want to try to play again, I can try to pursue that. Or if I don't, I can just relax and chill at the house and spend a lot more time with my family because that's what it's all about at the end of the day. And then at the end of the day, still becoming a businessman and still venturing off in that next phase of my life."
