L.A. Rams agree to $33M extension with running back Kyren Williams
Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Rams agreed to a three-year, $33 million contract extension with Pro Bowl running back Kyren Williams, agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed Tuesday. The deal includes $23 million guaranteed.
Williams, 24, totaled 316 carries for 1,299 yards and 14 scores over 16 starts last season. He also caught a career-high 34 passes for 182 yards and two scores.
The fourth-year running back entered the league as a fifth-round pick by the Rams in the 2022 NFL Draft. He totaled 1,350 yards from scrimmage and 15 scores last season. Williams led the NFL with 95.3 rushing yards per game over 12 appearances in 2023, when he earned a Pro Bowl selection.
The Rams will host the Dallas Cowboys in their preseason opener at 4 p.m. EDT Saturday in Inglewood, Calif. They will take on the Los Angeles Chargers and Cleveland Browns in their final two preseason games.
The Rams will host the Houston Texans in their regular season opener Sept. 7 at SoFi Stadium.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
17 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Steelers Hit With Unfortunate Will Howard Injury News on Tuesday
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback depth took a serious hit on Tuesday after one of its four signal-callers went down with a serious injury. With Aaron Rodgers taking the starter's reps and Mason Rudolph firmly penciled in as the No. 2, Ohio State rookie Will Howard and fourth-year QB Skylar Thompson were set to battle it out for the No. 3 job. However, that competition got a little more cut-and-dry on Tuesday after it NFL Network's Ian Rapoport revealed Howard had suffered a fracture in his throwing hand, which will sideline him for at least three weeks, if not longer. "#Steelers rookie QB Will Howard, who banged his throwing hand in practice, suffered a fractured small bone in his hand, sources say," Rapoport wrote on X. "He's having additional tests, but it's likely no surgery is required. He's expected to miss at least 3 weeks, but more info coming." It's not known when Howard's injury occurred, but head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters he believes it happened on a routine play. "I think [Howard's injury] came on an exchange from center, but I didn't have eyes on it. It was his right hand," Tomlin said, via the team's official website. More NFL: Falcons HC Raheem Morris Goes Viral After Getting Trucked by Star WR Will Howard #18 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action during Minicamp at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on June 10, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Will Howard #18 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action during Minicamp at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on June 10, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Justin K. Aller/Getty Images Howard's injury will keep him out until at least Aug. 27, meaning he would miss all three of Pittsburgh's preseason games against the Jacksonville Jaguars (Aug. 9), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Aug. 16), and Carolina Panthers (Aug. 21). "Will Howard has been impressing at camp, but now out the rest of the preseason," Rapoport added. "More reps for Mason Rudolph and added opportunity for Skylar Thompson." Howard's injury couldn't have come at a worse time. The 23-year-old signal-caller, who threw for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season while leading Ohio State to its first national championship in a decade, has made a mark on many of the Steelers coaches during training camp so far, and he's impressed his teammates with his work ethic and how he's carried himself. More NFL: Chargers' Surprise Roster Move Reunites Justin Herbert With Pro Bowl Weapon "I've been impressed with Will," Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said, via Steelers Nation. "You saw it on film him and you get to know him as a person. He's very mature from the neck up. He's as good as any young guy in terms of recall, huddle command." The Steelers open the regular season on the road against the New York Jets on Sept. 7. If Howard's recovery goes according to plan, he could dress for that game provided he experiences no other setbacks.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Chargers bring back Keenan Allen after one season with Bears
The Los Angeles Chargers agreed Tuesday to terms with six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen. Allen returns to the team that drafted him in 2013 after one season with the Chicago Bears. He is second in Chargers history for both receptions (904) and receiving yards (10,530) for a wide receiver. The Chargers traded him to the Bears last offseason for a fourth-round draft pick. Allen had 70 catches for 744 yards and seven TDs in Chicago. Allen reunites with quarterback Justin Herbert, who made the 33-year-old wide receiver his favorite target in their time together, with Allen catching 24 TD passes. Allen joins a wide receiver corps that is different than in recent years. Ladd McConkey returns for his second season after breaking Allen's single-season rookie record for catches and yards. They also have Quentin Johnston, Tyler Conklin and rookies Tre' Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith after free agent Mike Williams suddenly retired before the start of training camp. Allen started 138 of 144 games for the Chargers in his first stint with the team. He had a record-setting season in 2023, making a single-season franchise-record 108 catches.
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Rams RB Kyren Williams agrees to 3-year contract extension worth up to $33 million
Kyren Williams grew up in St. Louis going to Rams games and dreaming of someday carrying the ball for his favorite team. The running back has done it impressively over the past two seasons — and with his new contract, he won't wake up anytime soon from his childhood dream. Williams agreed to a three-year, $33 million extension with the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday, wrapping up months of contract negotiations with a deal through 2028. Williams has been a productive starter in the Rams' backfield for two years, producing back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons. Los Angeles resolved its most significant contract issue before the new season with a deal that includes $23 million in guaranteed money. Williams made the Pro Bowl in 2023 while finishing third in the NFL in yards rushing, and 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. "For me, it means everything," Williams said. "It means a whole lot that just this organization believes in me, and I'm going to continue giving them everything I have in my soul to make sure they know that." Williams and the Rams finalized the deal during a meeting in McVay's office on Tuesday morning before the team headed to Oxnard, California, for a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys. "We gave them the offer, we gave them the things that we wanted," Williams said. "And the great Rams organization, and (executive) Matthew (Shearin) and Coach McVay, they discussed, and they came back to me. And, man, I couldn't believe what they said. Honestly, I wasn't expecting them to say yes. But when they did, you should have seen me." While signing his deal, Williams made a joyous FaceTime call to his mother, who took him to innumerable Rams games at the then-Edward Jones Dome. McVay got inconsistent production out of his running backs for four years after the Rams released Todd Gurley following the 2019 season, but Williams has been a dependable workhorse back who makes up for his lack of elite breakaway speed with relentlessness and toughness. McVay also has consistently praised Williams' locker room presence and leadership. "I think the coolest thing, where you know this is the right thing, is ... how he wanted to still be here, but then when you start to see his teammates' reaction, and when you see how happy his coaches, his teammates are for him, you feel really good for him," McVay said. "And the best part about it is he'll just continue to do what he's done. He's like, 'I can't wait to work even harder.' And it's like, I don't think you can work any harder." Williams also made an offseason decision that likely played a role in the relatively speedy resolution of his negotiations when he reported to training camp last month as scheduled. He has participated in all practices instead of holding out before the final year of his rookie deal. The fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2022 said he never seriously considered a holdout or a hold-in, preferring to keep the focus on the team. "I know what the Rams are about, and I know what we stand for," Williams said. "I know the standard here is not (holding out). I know a person who thinks that they're bigger than the program is not where we're at. And so for me, I didn't want to give off any type of ill feelings to my teammates, to the organization, to myself." 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' ground 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. Williams is just the second Rams draft pick since 2018 to be given a second consecutive contract by the team. Receiver Tutu Atwell, drafted one year before Williams, is back for a fifth season with Los Angeles after getting a surprising one-year, $10 million deal in the opening days of free agency last spring.
