Falcons agree to 1-year deal with former Ram Gurley

ATLANTA » Todd Gurley didn’t wait long to find his new NFL home.

The Atlanta Falcons didn’t wait long to celebrate the deal.

“WE GOT HIM,” the Falcons exclaimed on their Twitter account early Friday, soon after news emerged of Gurley’s $6 million, one-year deal with the Falcons.

The agreement was confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the deal. The person confirmed the agreement on condition of anonymity because the deal will not be official until Gurley passes a physical.

The agreement was reached less than 24 hours after Gurley was released by the Rams on Thursday. The three-time Pro Bowl running back was released minutes before $10.5 million in his contract with the Rams became fully guaranteed.

The Falcons had good reason to celebrate the news. They needed a replacement for Devonta Freeman as the leader of their ground game, and Gurley’s arrival should be good news for ticket sales.

Gurley will be making a return to the state of Georgia. He was a standout at the University of Georgia, rushing for more than 3,000 yards in three seasons.

The agreement with the 25-year-old Gurley comes less than a week after the Falcons released Freeman. Atlanta ranked only 30th in the NFL in rushing in 2019 and is hoping for a significant boost from Gurley.

Gurley has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in three of his five seasons with the Rams. He ran for a career-low 857 yards with the Rams last season. His average of 3.8 yards per carry was the second-lowest of his career.

Gurley’s physical will be especially important. He had a persistent left knee injury that limited his effectiveness late in 2018. The issue remained last season, even though he played in 15 games.

When healthy, Gurley has been one of the league’s most productive backs as a runner and receiver. He leads the NFL with 58 rushing touchdowns since he joined the league in 2015. His 5,404 yards rushing in that span rank second in the league, behind Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott (5,405).