Little more than 20 months after signing him to what was then the highest-paid deal for any running back in the NFL, the Los Angeles Rams have released Todd Gurley.

The Rams–who had been shopping Gurley since the beginning of the legal tampering period on Monday–released him in order to avoid paying his $10.5 million contract bonus that otherwise would have been due today. His year-over-year cap hit would have doubled in total had the Rams not made this decision.

Gurley is now a free agent, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network named the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Seattle Seahawks as potential destinations for Gurley.

Gurley asserted himself as one of the best running backs in football during a two-year stretch between 2017 and 2018. He racked up nearly 4,000 combined yards from scrimmage and scored 40 total touchdowns. Gurley made First-Team All-Pro both years.

But the 2019 campaign was a letdown, as Gurley averaged just 3.8 yards per carry (down from 4.9 in 2018) and 6.7 yards per reception (down from 9.8 in 2018).

Still, Gurley has plenty of upside as a guy who can run both between and outside the tackles, and he is an extraordinarily capable receiver in the flats. Not to mention, he will only be turning 26 this August, so age is not much of an issue.

Naturally, there is going to be a lot of attention given to the Bucs when discussing where Gurley will land next, especially once they finalize their deal with Tom Brady.

However, the Falcons and Seahawks are also interesting options. Atlanta released Devonta Freeman and might desire a feature back like Gurley.

The Seahawks have Chris Carson in the backfield, though he is not quite the same talent as Gurley and has a history of fumbles and injuries.

In any case, it will be interesting to watch Gurley's market develop.