Jackson to end holdout

Jackson to end holdout
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
08/20/2008

The holdout is over for running back Steven Jackson, and with a little luck he could be on the practice field tomorrow.

Jackson's agent, Eugene Parker, informed the Rams on Wednesday afternoon that Jackson has agreed to report to Rams Park as a show of good faith in contract negotiations.

In fact, Parker and Rams president of football operations Jay Zygmunt were busy working on a contract extension Wednesday afternoon. It is quite possible that the parties will have agreed to a new contract before Jackson arrives at

According to league sources, the Rams offered a seven-year, $50 million extension in late July, a deal that included $17 million in guaranteed money.

The dollars may be jiggled around somewhat, but the final numbers won't look all that different, the sources said. But at this point, it's more a matter of how the dollars are structured than the numbers themselves. Jackson, who was in his hometown of Las Vegas on Wednesday, must first pass a physical before he can practice with the team, but that is expected to be a routine matter.

"We're glad he's coming in, and we look forward to him being a Ram for a long time and getting a deal done," Zygmunt told the Post-Dispatch on Wednesday afternoon.

Zygmunt informed coach Scott Linehan of the breakthrough following practice.

"At this point, it looks great," Linehan told the Post-Dispatch. "It's obviously a good sign, and I feel good about it now."

Apparently, the fact that neither Zygmunt nor Linehan fired any verbal barrages at Jackson during his 27-day holdout, influenced Jackson to report.

"The goal is to get it resolved and get ready for the season," Linehan said. "All (public criticism) can do is to harm things by making it personal."

Jackson will not play in Saturday's preseason contest against Baltimore, and at this point it's uncertain whether he will play in the preseason finale Aug. 28 against Kansas City.




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