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COMMENTARY | If there are any positives to take from the St. Louis Rams’ 20-13 loss at the Seattle Seahawks, it’s that there seems to be some clarification on what running back Steven Jackson’s plans are for next year. And it’s definitely not retirement.
“I love the game of football,” Jackson said recently. “I have a lot left in my tank – and let’s just get the deal done. How about that?”
Well, how about that? Keeping Jackson in St. Louis isn’t as easy as signing a new deal. The Rams allowed him to have the option of voiding his contract for next season, and Jackson appears to understand how special it was for the team to do that for him. But it doesn’t mean that the Rams haven’t been making plans on moving on without him.
There’s a reason why Daryl Richardson has seen significant playing time this season. There’s also a reason why the Rams picked up Terrance Ganaway early in September. Oh, and there’s still second-round draft pick Isaiah Pead who is waiting for his chance to shine. It’s clear to me that the Rams have no intention of letting any of these running backs go. I’m convinced that head coach Jeff Fisher was planning on using a running back by committee in 2013.
Now it appears that Jackson is planning on staying with the Rams. Quarterback Sam Bradford said as much at the press conference after the game.
“He told us after the game that he bleeds blue and gold, and he wants to be here,” Bradford said. “So hopefully we can make it work.
The question is: will it work? If the Rams want to maintain salary cap flexibility, then they can’t afford to give a 30-year old running back an expensive new contract. I know how important Jackson is to the Rams, but there are a lot of holes to fill on the roster. The payroll money needs to be spread around. If Jackson wants to come back for one more year and finish his contract, then that will work out fine. But if Jackson wants a multi-year deal with the Rams, he’ll need to take a pay cut. That’s the only way he’ll be a Ram after 2013.
That said, I hope Jackson is back with the team next year. It would be something special for him to finally have a winning season with the Rams, and I think that’s what will happen in 2013.
Derek Ciapala has been following the Rams since childhood. He has been published on Yahoo! Sports, Sports Out West and multiple other websites. You can check him out on Facebook or Twitter @dciapala.
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COMMENTARY | If there are any positives to take from the St. Louis Rams’ 20-13 loss at the Seattle Seahawks, it’s that there seems to be some clarification on what running back Steven Jackson’s plans are for next year. And it’s definitely not retirement.
“I love the game of football,” Jackson said recently. “I have a lot left in my tank – and let’s just get the deal done. How about that?”
Well, how about that? Keeping Jackson in St. Louis isn’t as easy as signing a new deal. The Rams allowed him to have the option of voiding his contract for next season, and Jackson appears to understand how special it was for the team to do that for him. But it doesn’t mean that the Rams haven’t been making plans on moving on without him.
There’s a reason why Daryl Richardson has seen significant playing time this season. There’s also a reason why the Rams picked up Terrance Ganaway early in September. Oh, and there’s still second-round draft pick Isaiah Pead who is waiting for his chance to shine. It’s clear to me that the Rams have no intention of letting any of these running backs go. I’m convinced that head coach Jeff Fisher was planning on using a running back by committee in 2013.
Now it appears that Jackson is planning on staying with the Rams. Quarterback Sam Bradford said as much at the press conference after the game.
“He told us after the game that he bleeds blue and gold, and he wants to be here,” Bradford said. “So hopefully we can make it work.
The question is: will it work? If the Rams want to maintain salary cap flexibility, then they can’t afford to give a 30-year old running back an expensive new contract. I know how important Jackson is to the Rams, but there are a lot of holes to fill on the roster. The payroll money needs to be spread around. If Jackson wants to come back for one more year and finish his contract, then that will work out fine. But if Jackson wants a multi-year deal with the Rams, he’ll need to take a pay cut. That’s the only way he’ll be a Ram after 2013.
That said, I hope Jackson is back with the team next year. It would be something special for him to finally have a winning season with the Rams, and I think that’s what will happen in 2013.
Derek Ciapala has been following the Rams since childhood. He has been published on Yahoo! Sports, Sports Out West and multiple other websites. You can check him out on Facebook or Twitter @dciapala.
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