2020 NFL Offseason - Trades, Cuts, Signings, etc.

An NFL source told The Athletic that there were concerns about his surgically repaired left knee when he came out of Georgia.

When asked how bad the knee is now, the source said “Very bad.”

Jeff Howe of The Athletic was the first to report in June 2019 that Gurley was suffering from arthritis in the knee.

This was later confirmed when Gurley’s trainer, Travelle Gaines, told CBS Sports: “Everybody knew when Todd came out of Georgia that there would be some kind of arthritic component to his knee, which is part of every surgery whether it’s a shoulder, a knee, an ankle. He’s now at the year-five mark, all we’re doing is managing that. If we can pound him less in the offseason while keeping his weight down, working on his strength, working on his agility in short areas, that’s going to give him a better chance to be healthy Weeks 14 through 17 when they really count.”

An NFL source told The Athletic on Friday, “Once a player has an arthritic condition, you don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s different for every person. You’re sort of playing Russian roulette because you never know how fast it will accelerate.”

In the Falcons’ defense, this is a low-risk decision. If Gurley can’t perform or fails his physical, they lose little. Gurley’s salary is only $5 million, as reported by WSB’s Zach Klein. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported it as $6 million from the Falcons and $7.5 million from the Rams, less a $2.5 million “offset.” Either way, it’s not a lot. We also don’t know what of the Falcons’ portion is guaranteed.

While there are many fans who view Gurley as damaged goods and aren’t seeing things through Bulldogs-colored glasses, some in team offices right now only know — and care — that they’re getting a lot of marketing juice from this move. Unfortunately, that’s a big part of what they have become...