The Los Angeles Rams have re-signed centre John Sullivan to a two-year deal. The team announced the move on their Twitter account. The deal is reportedly worth $15 million.
#LARams + John Sullivan have agreed to terms on a two-year contract. pic.twitter.com/vYCHJsQ8e8
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) March 17, 2018
This is a 2-year deal worth $15M https://t.co/0AfZE8P0U8
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2018
Los Angeles Rams Re-Sign John Sullivan
Sullivan entered the league in 2008 after being drafted in the sixth round out of Notre Dame by the Minnesota Vikings. He was a mainstay in Minnesota for the greater part of a decade before bouncing around over the past two seasons. This past season the 32-year-old started all 15 games he played in for the Los Angeles Rams.
Sullivan has proven himself as a dependable veteran center who, although past his prime, still has starting ability. He earned a grade of 74.6 from Pro Football Focus last season, good for tenth among all centers. Along with fellow free-agent acquisition Andrew Whitworth, he helped to solidify the Rams line and protect young quarterback Jared Goff.
After not starting a game his rookie season, Sullivan has since started every game he has played in with the exception of two seasons ago. In 2016 with the Washington Redskins, Sullivan was active in 13 games but only started one. The season before, Sullivan suffered a lingering back injury that sidelined him for the whole season. The Vikings cut him out of training camp and he was a late addition to Washington’s roster.
The peak of Sullivan’s playing career was in 2012 when he anchored a line that helped Adrian Peterson rush for nearly 2,000 yards. That season, Sullivan earned first-team All-Pro from both the Associated Press and Pro Football Focus. He has never earned a Pro Bowl nod.
Rams center John Sullivan, blocked for Adrian Peterson during his 2000-yard season, calls Todd Gurley “the most complete back I’ve ever played with.”
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) December 25, 2017
While he is by no means the same player he once was, Sullivan brings leadership and stability to the center position along with his still-significant talent. Although not as dominant as he once was, he is still just in his early 30s and still could have multiple strong seasons ahead of him.
