Kyren Williams won't hold out as Rams training camp begins amid his contract negotiations
The former Pro Bowl running back reported to camp as scheduled Tuesday at Loyola Marymount University, and he'll participate in practice this week instead of sitting out while his agent works on his deal. Williams also said he'll stay in uniform if the negotiations, which have produced progress in recent sessions, still stretch into his fourth regular season.
Advertisement
'For me, there was no decision,' Williams said. 'I play football. That's what I love. ... Being here right now is a no-brainer, because I've got people I've got to take care of. Putting my feet on the grass is the only way I know how to do that.'
The Rams will meet again with agent Drew Rosenhaus on Wednesday as they continue to work toward a long-term deal with Williams, the Notre Dame product and boyhood Rams fan from St. Louis. Williams has rushed for 2,582 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding 464 yards receiving and five more TDs over three seasons as a versatile producer in Sean McVay's offense.
'There's definitely been progress from when we started at OTAs to where we're at now,' Williams said. 'I don't know when it's going to get done. For now, it's just time for me to be present where my feet are at. ... I want to play for the Rams. That's who I want to stay with, and I know it will work out.'
Williams has been the Rams' starting running back for the past two years, and he made the Pro Bowl in 2023 while finishing third in the league with 1,144 yards rushing despite playing in only 12 games. He had career highs of 1,299 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns last season.
Advertisement
The Rams have repeatedly said they want to keep Williams even though they've used fairly high picks on running backs in each of the past two drafts, adding Blake Corum in the third round in 2023 and trading up to pick Jarquez Hunter in the fourth round last April.
'We have gotten closer,' McVay said of the Rams' negotiations with Williams. 'Haven't got the deal across the finish line, obviously. And (Williams) has done everything that he can control that makes you want to say, 'Let's try in good faith to figure this out for this guy,' because he's representing all the things that are right about the Rams, and the way he plays, his spirit, his mindset, what he is as a teammate, how he responds to adversity, the physical and mental toughness, it means a lot, and I love this guy and love what he stands for and what he's about.'
Williams made some changes in the offseason to prepare for his contract year. He hired a chef whose meals have him feeling 'alive and vibrant ... I wake up every single morning and I'm just full of energy.'
Williams is also working on his grip strength after his regular weight workouts. He fumbled five times during the regular season — tied for the second-most by a running back — and again in the postseason, putting a damper on his numbers.
Advertisement
Williams said he had no interest in holding out because of his teammates and their potential. The Rams hope to be Super Bowl contenders after winning the NFC West and stretching eventual champion Philadelphia to the limit in their second playoff game.
'Seeing the squad that we have, it's like, yo, from top to bottom, from special teams to offense to defense, we are stacked,' Williams said. 'We've got people who know what it is to be here as a Ram and play here as a Ram. We've got people who are like-minded, people that go to work. People who are playing for each other and not just an individual.'
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Defending champions England beat Spain on penalties to win Women's Euro 2025
Chloe Kelly converted the decisive kick as England beat Spain 3-1 on penalties to win the Women's Euro 2025 after Sunday's final had finished 1-1 at the end of extra time, allowing the Lionesses to avenge their defeat in the World Cup final of two years ago and retain their continental crown. It looked as though Spain would repeat their victory over England in Sydney two years ago as they dominated the game at St Jakob-Park in Basel and led through Mariona Caldentey's first-half header. But England did not panic, having already trailed against both Sweden in the quarter-finals and Italy in the semis before finding a way to win. Alessia Russo headed in their equaliser just before the hour mark, and no further goals meant a shoot-out in which Kelly -- who once again had a huge impact off the bench -- netted the winner. It was an agonising way to lose for Spain, but they failed to score three of their spot-kicks, with reigning Ballon d'Or Aitana Bonmati seeing her effort saved. Sarina Wiegman's England are therefore back-to-back European champions, with this triumph coming three years after they defeated Germany in extra time at Wembley to win a first women's major tournament. Defeating Spain here helps make up for the agony of losing that World Cup final in 2023, and the victory also confirms Wiegman's place among the coaching greats. She has now won three consecutive European Championships, having led her native Netherlands to victory in 2017 before doing the same with England three years ago. Spain, meanwhile, fell short in their quest to add a maiden European Championship title to the World Cup they won in Australia. La Roja dominated possession as expected, but ultimately paid the price for not putting the game to bed against an England side who never know when they are beaten. Wiegman's team had been 2-0 down against Sweden in the last eight before scoring twice to force extra time as they eventually won on penalties. Then substitute Michelle Agyemang's 96th-minute equaliser denied Italy in the semi-finals in Geneva, when Kelly netted the winner in extra time. England had ultimately not played well during much of their run to the final, but it did not matter. Wiegman had taken a gamble on the fitness of Lauren James which paid off, but not quite as planned -- having come off with an ankle injury against Italy, the Chelsea winger did not last until half-time and was replaced by Kelly. - Caldentey and Russo exchange blows - By that point Spain were already in front, scoring when Bonmati and Athenea del Castillo combined to set up Ona Battle and her cross from the right was headed in by Caldentey. Montse Tome's Spain, with seven players from Barcelona in their starting line-up, had already been in control before that and it felt like England's best hope was for complacency from their opponents. The best example of that came with the game still goalless, when Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll played a careless short pass to Laia Aleixandri in her own area. Lauren Hemp was alive to the opportunity and pounced, but Coll reacted well to make the save. Yet even at 1-0 it felt like England were still in the game, and they took their chance when it came in the 57th minute when Kelly crossed from the left for her Arsenal teammate Russo to level the scores. England -- with more fans on their side in the crowd of 34,203 -- now sensed yet another comeback win was on the cards, and it took the fingertips of Coll to prevent a Kelly effort from finding the far corner midway through the second half. Agyemang then came on for Russo, hoping to once again play the role of super-sub, while Salma Paralluelo was among those brought on for Spain. Paralluelo found herself in a promising position on several occasions as the game continued into extra time, and from there to the gripping tension of penalties. Beth Mead's first kick for England was saved after she was forced to retake, and captain Leah Williamson also had her effort stopped by Coll. However, Alex Greenwood and Niamh Charles both scored, while Patri Guijarro was the only successful taker for Spain before Kelly stepped up to win it. as/ea
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
From hoops to Hall of Fame: Antonio Gates' unique NFL journey to Canton
Antonio Gates thought his path to a Hall of Fame career would have been in basketball. Instead, he became one of the best tight ends in NFL history. Gates will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, getting elected to Canton without playing college football. He played his entire 16-year career for the Bolts and finished with 116 receiving touchdowns, the most by a tight end in NFL history. 'My journey was probably the most unique journey in all of football because I came in as a former basketball player, not knowing what to expect,' Gates said. 'Some of those guys who are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, they wanted to be Pro Football Hall of Famers when they were 14 years old. I wanted to play in the NBA. That was my dream. Like I said, I still haven't wrapped my head around it all.' Gates played both football and basketball during high school at Detroit Central. Nick Saban recruited Gates to play football at Michigan State, but he didn't play as a freshman. Gates also wanted to play basketball, but Saban disagreed. Gates transferred to Eastern Michigan, then to two junior colleges, and eventually to Kent State. It was at Kent State that Gates reached national prominence. He led the Golden Flashes to the Elite Eight in the 2002 NCAA Tournament as a junior and an Associated Press All-America honorable mention selection as a senior after averaging 20.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Even though Gates was convinced he would get drafted in the NBA, at 6-foot-4, scouts saw him as an undersized post player. However, Tim Brewster, who was the Chargers' tight ends coach in 2003, saw in Gates the size and speed that he thought would make him a great tight end. Brewster saw Gates during a private workout and immediately began making his pitch to Marty Schottenheimer and the Chargers' front office to sign him as a free agent. 'A lot of people like to take credit, but Tim is the number one reason why I am in the Hall of Fame,' Gates said. 'He found me, believed what I could become, and was around me constantly. He really got me into a position where I look up, and I was All-Pro my second year in the field.' After having 24 receptions for 389 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, Gates had a career-high 13 touchdowns in 2004 en route to the first of three straight Associated Press All-Pro honors and eight consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl. He also had 81 catches for 964 yards. Even though he was catching a lot of passes, Gates' route-running didn't always get high marks from coaches. 'What I was doing as a rookie and in my second year was considered nontraditional. I would play well, but grade out bad because I creating a lane. And unfortunately, when you're creating something that's never been done or seen, it gets scrutinized. I would use my instinct to make the play.' Many of the things that Gates did with shape routes, pivot routes over the ball and tight ends releasing at the line of scrimmage are commonplace today with Kansas City's Travis Kelce and San Francisco's George Kittle. Gates utilized his basketball skills on the football field, as catching the ball at its highest point is similar to rebounding in the paint, as well as boxing out on the hardwood and trying to get open against a defensive back. Gates might have been outsized as a power forward, but he had an advantage going up against defensive backs who often were smaller than he was. Gates' career flourished under Norv Turner, the Chargers coach from 2007 through '12. Turner lined Gates up in different spots and also used more two tight end sets. Gates' route-running also improved under Turner and with Philip Rivers as the quarterback. 'He had to win on his route-running and his ability to separate and his understanding of coverages and all those things. Philip is as good a passer as there's been in a long time, but Philip wasn't going to move around and make a lot of plays off schedule,' Turner said. Gates finished with 955 receptions for 11,841 yards. He had 21 multi-touchdown games, the most among tight ends. Of his 116 touchdowns, 39 came on third down, which is tied for third all time. He had eight seasons with at least eight touchdowns and was a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 2000s. Gates said the biggest thing he is looking forward to is being able to thank the people who helped him get to Canton. 'I've always been in a space where from a popularity standpoint, people know my name. It's my chance to thank everyone else,' he said. 'Although you are the face and the focus point, it's truly not about you. You're letting everybody understand what it took to get to this point and who were influential.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former Patrick Mahomes teammate makes admission on Tom Brady
Former Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu gave an honest response when asked if he believed quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the greatest of all time. While he does think the three-time Super Bowl champion is closing in on that title, he isn't ready to put him ahead of former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. "I would say he's a great quarterback, but greatest of all time, I think that's still reserved for Brady," Mathieu said on Up & Adams. "And I think with Brady, that's just longevity. That's respect. That's just playing against this guy on the biggest stages. He was one of the most competitive, accurate. He just had a single mindset to win—win by any means necessary. He was always a challenge to go up against. Being the greatest of all time, I don't think it's like an eight, nine, 10-year thing." Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, has beaten Mahomes twice in the postseason—once in the 2018 AFC Championship Game and once more at Super Bowl LV. He also won a Super Bowl with two different football teams after leaving the Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Mahomes is still only 29 years old and not completely out of the race. Mathieu acknowledged his former teammate might one day go down as the greatest of all time if he stays on his current trajectory. But that's a big hill to climb in a league where teams improve every year. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook. This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Former Patrick Mahomes teammate makes admission on Tom Brady
