Post by bigdave on Aug 21, 2008 12:57:17 GMT -6
ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson signed a six-year contract Thursday and was on the field for practice after completing a physical.
Jackson agreed to a two-tiered deal with the Rams. It's either a three-year extension worth $29.3 million with $21 million guaranteed, or a five-year, $49.3 million contract that includes huge escalators in years four and five, a source told ESPN.com's John Clayton.
The way the contract works is that it is structurally a five-year deal lasting until 2013. The final two years can be voided based on his performance, but his performance can also trigger the escalators to take the five-year deal to $49.3 million.
Though a breakdown of the triggers of the deal aren't fully known, a source told ESPN.com that Jackson has to perform similarly the next three seasons to the numbers he put up from 2005 through 2007 to fulfill the escalators.
Jackson rushed for 3,576 yards and 26 touchdowns the past three years and caught 171 passes for 1,396 yards and six touchdowns. In the prime of his career, Jackson is figuring he can equal those numbers and become a free agent by 2012.
After the 2011 season, Jackson would only be 28 and still have a chance to hit the free-agent market at a time he believes there might be a new collective bargaining agreement.
To get this deal, Jackson held out and accumulated about $400,000 of fines while out of camp. He held out long enough that he wasn't able to use 2008 as an accrued season counting in his years toward free agency.
NFC West blog
ESPN.com's Mike Sando writes about all things NFC West in his division blog.
• Blog network: NFL Nation
By doing the three-year extension, Jackson doesn't have to worry. If there is no salary cap in 2010, Jackson would have enough years in the league to qualify for free agency for the 2012 season. His biggest accomplishment, though, was becoming the league's highest-paid running back, along with staying with the Rams.
The 235-pound Jackson ended his holdout on Wednesday.
Jackson is the centerpiece of the Rams' offense and had been entering the final season of a five-year, $7 million deal he signed as a first-round pick in 2004.
Coach Scott Linehan said Jackson would be in uniform for Saturday night's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens but would not play. He said that although Jackson reported in good shape, he needed to condition his body for football.
Jackson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in a story on its Web site that the stalemate had been about a difference in philosophy. He said talks "recommenced" late last week, and Jackson booked a flight from Las Vegas to St. Louis on Wednesday when a deal appeared imminent.
He had his third consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2007 despite missing four games with injuries.
Jackson agreed to a two-tiered deal with the Rams. It's either a three-year extension worth $29.3 million with $21 million guaranteed, or a five-year, $49.3 million contract that includes huge escalators in years four and five, a source told ESPN.com's John Clayton.
The way the contract works is that it is structurally a five-year deal lasting until 2013. The final two years can be voided based on his performance, but his performance can also trigger the escalators to take the five-year deal to $49.3 million.
Though a breakdown of the triggers of the deal aren't fully known, a source told ESPN.com that Jackson has to perform similarly the next three seasons to the numbers he put up from 2005 through 2007 to fulfill the escalators.
Jackson rushed for 3,576 yards and 26 touchdowns the past three years and caught 171 passes for 1,396 yards and six touchdowns. In the prime of his career, Jackson is figuring he can equal those numbers and become a free agent by 2012.
After the 2011 season, Jackson would only be 28 and still have a chance to hit the free-agent market at a time he believes there might be a new collective bargaining agreement.
To get this deal, Jackson held out and accumulated about $400,000 of fines while out of camp. He held out long enough that he wasn't able to use 2008 as an accrued season counting in his years toward free agency.
NFC West blog
ESPN.com's Mike Sando writes about all things NFC West in his division blog.
• Blog network: NFL Nation
By doing the three-year extension, Jackson doesn't have to worry. If there is no salary cap in 2010, Jackson would have enough years in the league to qualify for free agency for the 2012 season. His biggest accomplishment, though, was becoming the league's highest-paid running back, along with staying with the Rams.
The 235-pound Jackson ended his holdout on Wednesday.
Jackson is the centerpiece of the Rams' offense and had been entering the final season of a five-year, $7 million deal he signed as a first-round pick in 2004.
Coach Scott Linehan said Jackson would be in uniform for Saturday night's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens but would not play. He said that although Jackson reported in good shape, he needed to condition his body for football.
Jackson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in a story on its Web site that the stalemate had been about a difference in philosophy. He said talks "recommenced" late last week, and Jackson booked a flight from Las Vegas to St. Louis on Wednesday when a deal appeared imminent.
He had his third consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2007 despite missing four games with injuries.
