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‘New football journey:’ Brady to Bucs official

ATLANTA &mdash; Todd Gurley didn&rsquo;t wait long to find his new NFL home.
				The Atlanta Falcons didn&rsquo;t wait long to celebrate the deal.
				&ldquo;WE GOT HIM,&rdquo; the Falcons exclaimed on their Twitter account early Friday, soon after news emerged of Gurley&rsquo;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 league isn&rsquo;t allowing players to report to new teams immediately for those physicals during the coronavirus pandemic.
				The agreement was reached less than 24 hours after Gurley was released by the Los Angeles 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&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&rsquo; Ezekiel Elliott (5,405).
				Through five seasons, Gurley has averaged 43.6 catches, including a career-high 64 for 788 yards and six touchdowns in 2017.
				Gurley, a 2015 first-round pick, signed a four-year, $60 million contract with the Rams in June 2018, making him the league&rsquo;s highest-paid running back at the time. The deal included $45 million in guaranteed earnings. Gurley was cut before even playing the first year of that extension.
				&#8226; The Steelers added tight end Eric Ebron on a two-year deal, as well as guard Stefen Wisniewski, who won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs. And Pittsburgh made a rare in-division trade, acquiring backup defensive tackle Chris Wormley and a seventh-round pick from Baltimore for a fifth-round pick in this year&rsquo;s draft.
				Ebron, 27, is one season removed from a breakout 2018 in which he caught 13 touchdown passes to make the Pro Bowl for the first time in the process. He struggled last year while dealing with a lingering ankle injury that ended his season in late November.
				&#8226; Denver agreed to a two-year deal with former Chargers running back Melvin Gordon that is worth $16 million with all but $2.5 million guaranteed. Although his new deal is less than the $10 million annually Gordon turned down from the Chargers during an unsuccessful holdout last season, it allows him to face his old team twice a year and to hit free agency again in 2022 at age 28. His $8 million annual salary also ranks fourth in the NFL among running backs.
				&#8226; Saints left guard Andrus Peat agreed to a five-year contract keeping him in New Orleans and virtually ensuring the entire 2019 starting offensive line will return. The deal is worth a total of $57.5 million.
				&#8226; Longtime Vikings standout defensive lineman Everson Griffen, 32, is leaving Minnesota.
				Griffen&rsquo;s agent, Brian Murphy, announced Friday they ended talks with the Vikings &ldquo;because they have to spend their money elsewhere and we decided to now focus our attention on free agency.&rdquo; The longest-tenured player on the team, Griffen had 74 1/2 sacks in 10 seasons.
				&#8226; The Browns added another veteran safety, agreeing to terms with Andrew Sendejo on a one-year, $2.25 million contract. The 32-year-old Sendejo played for Minnesota and Philadelphia last season. On Wednesday, the team worked out a deal with former Raiders safety Karl Joseph.

NFL signings: Falcons add RB Gurley shortly after being cut by Rams