Kyren Williams Has Faith New Rams Contract Is on Horizon

Les Snead doesn’t get enough credit for drafting Kyren Williams. Chalk it up in part to the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory parade, where Snead had a speech to match his shirt. The phrase ‘F them picks’ entered the world, forever endearing itself in Internet and social-media history.

Williams is living proof of the Rams’ stark paradigm shift after winning that Super Bowl, proof that they actually left the philosophy in the confetti on the SoFi Stadium turf. He's reached 1,100 rushing yards each of the last two seasons and now enters the final year of his rookie contract.

But unlike Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson, who said he won’t play the final year of his contract without a new deal, Williams has taken a different approach, even if a deal isn’t completed before Los Angeles kicks off the season with Houston on Sept. 7.

“I know with time it’s going to happen,” Williams told Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times last week.

“I would love for it to get done so I can take care of my family and the loved ones that helped me get here. I’ve always got trust in God. Whether it happens now or I play out the season, I know it’s going to happen eventually.”

The Rams had a similar faith when they pivoted to the draft-and-develop model in 2022. While the previous philosophy helped the Rams win a Super Bowl in 2021, it also left them without a selection in the first two rounds the following spring. After acquiring high-priced veterans like Jalen Ramsey, they didn’t appear on the ticker until late on Night 2.

Snead said later the infamous phrase got away from him, and he didn’t actually mean F them future picks. The Rams obviously did their homework before that 2022 draft. Snead and his staff landed defensive backs Cobie Durant and Quentin Lake, and in the fifth round with the 164th overall selection, they secured Williams.

Plus, this past April, the Rams picked up a 2026 first-rounder in a trade with Atlanta, which figures to give the Rams the capital needed to hand select the heir apparent to Matthew Stafford.

But that’s in the future. Williams is the present, secure in his future because he shifts attention away from himself. Like holes in the line of scrimmage, Williams sees holes in his present community.

When Klein interviewed him, Williams was in Pasadena, Calif., distributing new Nike shoes to kids affected by the devastating Eaton Fire this past winter. His community contributions surprise no one in the Rams organization. After all, the organization named him its nominee for the 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.

And part of the draft-and-develop mindset is to bring in players of high character who love football, just like Williams. In addition to his off-field efforts, Williams finished seventh in the league last year with 1,299 rushing yards and tied for fifth with 14 rushing TDs. The Rams leaned on him all the way through the playoffs, where he finished with 5.2 yards per carry over two games.

This offseason, both Snead and head coach Sean McVay have publicly stated their desire to orchestrate a long-term partnership with Williams, that the 24-year-old running back is vital to what they’d like to accomplish moving forward. They've exchanged terms with Williams' agent and are working toward securing him long-term.