For several weeks, the Rams have acknowledged they were working to extend the contracts of defensive end Chris Long and middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, as both were entering the final season of their rookie contracts.
The first shoe fell Sunday when the club announced they had reached agreement with Long about an hour before the team took the field for their first full-squad practice of training camp.
Terms are not known yet, but Jay Glazer of Fox Sports claimed the deal was "huge." That's not surprising considering Long was scheduled to be paid $10 million this season and carried a salary-cap figure of more than $18.3 million. That latter number made it imperative that the Rams get long tied up before free agency began in March because the cost of placing a franchise tag on him (just under $22 million) would have been prohibitive.
The new deal keeps Long under contract through the 2016 season.
For Long, who used the word "lucky" nine times in a post-practice press conference, it was about being wanted by the team, getting the contract done before training camp and continuing to be a part of the team that selected him second overall in the 2008 draft.
"It's huge for me," he said. "It just puts your mind ... like you know where you stand and I feel really good about obviously the commitment to me and I'm committed to them regardless. I'm always going to play really hard. To feel like I'm going to be a part of something turning around, and I know I will, I'm absolutely lucky and appreciative and really happy.
"I've been here along with some other guys for some years now and I've seen the downs. When it turns around I want to be a part of it. I don't want to be watching it from somewhere else."
When the humble long was asked how much better he can get, he said without hesitation, "A lot. I mean, I can get a ton better so you know that's my goal. My goal is to get better every year, get smarter, prepare better and I've got a lot to focus on in camp here. I'll certainly come out every day and try to work hard to be a part of this defense. I think (the defense) can be pretty special and I'll try to pull my weight."
Said head coach Jeff Fisher, "We're just really excited. He's not the only one we're working on. We're just happy. He's had a great start to his career and we want to give him a chance to really settle in here and be one of the mainstays on our defense."
Teammates were genuinely glad for Long. Said quarterback Sam Bradford, "I think it's awesome. I love Chris. I think he's a leader on this football team, he's a leader on the defense. He's actually one of my really good friends on the team too, so I'm extremely excited he will be around here for five more years and hopefully I will be, too."
Running back Steven Jackson was asked about his efforts to extend his contract that has two years remaining so he can retire as with the Rams. He quickly turned the conversation to long, saying, "First and foremost, Chris had one year on his contract, and he was a priority. I think he was one of the killers of our defense last year. He's very deserving of what he just signed.
"It's actually nice to see some guys drafted and not move on; we keep them around. I was really stoked for him, and I gave him a big hug when I heard about the news. As far as myself, what God has for me will happen and no one can take it from me, so I'm here ready to work."
When the Rams were on the field for three days of rookie training camp, there was a strange sight: Third-year tight end Mike Hoomanawanui was one of the 31 players practicing in advance of the first full-squad practice Sunday.
There was good reason for it. Hoomanawanui suffered a torn ACL last season in a Nov. 13 game against Cleveland. He had surgery, and was only able to watch OTAs and minicamp. But he felt it was important to get back on the field as soon as possible after being cleared medically. That happened two days before the first practice, even though Hoomanawanui joked that "I cleared myself a couple weeks ago."
Said coach Jeff Fisher, "He asked if he could come. We talked about it, because we're permitted to bring injured players out here, but most everybody is healed up. In his case it's a real good idea to ease him back in to get the confidence on the knee and he's really done a good job. He's been running, he did great in the conditioning test. He's worked hard and he appears to be back for good."
That's what Hoomanawanui hopes after a collection of injuries has cost him 16 games over his first two seasons. So, in addition to rehabbing his knee, he hired the same personal trainer that worked with him before the Scouting Combine in 2010, and began eating healthier using the Metabolic Meals program.
He said, "Everybody's different. There's a different training regimen everyone goes by, and I think I found the one I like - the one I went back to. It's the one where I'd be the most healthy."
The result was dropping a few pounds to 262 and most important cutting his body fat from 14 to 10
"I wanted no excuses when I got to camp," he said. "This offseason I took it to another level."
As for the injuries he's had, Hoomanawanui said, "I can't worry about that. I have to just go out and play and leave everything else in the Big Man's hands."
He feels blessed, while thanking numerous Rams personnel for their help, to be back on the field ready to compete.
He admitted, "It was honestly hard for me to sleep (the night before the first practice). It was almost like Christmas. When something is taken away from you for nine months - something you're used to doing each and every day, and something you love to do - it's definitely hard."
Fisher hopes Hoomanawanui can simply add production to the position.
"He was a very talented player in college and unfortunately he has just had the injury setbacks, but if he can get it behind him then he can be a very productive player. Very smart, instinctive tight end. It will be very competitive at that position with him back."
Tight ends coach Rob Boras agrees. He told the Post-Dispatch, "From afar, I've always been impressed with his ability. I think he gives you some flexibility because of his ability as an in-line blocker. He can make plays in the pass game, and he also has some fullback qualities. So he has the potential to kind of be a complete tight end for us.
"He's done a great job in the classroom since we got here, I mean as good as any player I've been around. And that's hard for a guy that knows he's not practicing. No minicamp, no OTAs, and to pay attention and be able to answer the questions in the classroom."
As for the approach during camp, Boras said, "We've got to gradually (work him in). We have a large number of tight ends in camp. So I think we're going to be able to pace him. That's going to be the biggest thing. ... We've just got to monitor it and be smart throughout camp to make sure that we're getting him ready for the first game in September and the long season. Not trying to get ready immediately for that first preseason game."
The numbers are now in on the contract cornerback Janoris Jenkins signed with the Rams, and the reality is different from what his agent circulated at the time of the signing. In addition, there are indeed some significant protections in the contract for the Rams.
Initial reports had the total value of the deal worth more than $5 million with $3.1 million guaranteed. In actuality, the total value is $4,990,319 although there is a $25,000 workout bonus that could push the value past $5 million. His signing bonus of $2,069,324 is lower (but not by much) than that of Tennessee Titans linebacker Akeem Ayers, the seventh pick in the 2011 second round, whose bonus was $2,082,924.
Most notable is that the four years of base salaries in Jenkins' contract are all at the league minimum: $390,000; $480,000; $570,000 and $660,000. Only one other player in the second round, Denver Broncos defensive tackle Derek Wolfe, has a second-year minimum base salary and no players selected in the second round have minimum bases in the third and fourth years of the contract.
In Jenkins' deal, the first two years are guaranteed as well as $25,000 of the 2014 base.
The protection for the Rams is in the form of non-guaranteed roster bonuses totaling $684,163 in the last two years of the contract. He has to receive both of them to reach the $4.99 million total value of the contract. A roster bonus of $136,832 in 2013 is guaranteed for skill and injury.
The bonuses are $273,665 in 2014 and $410,498 in 2015. To earn the bonuses, Jenkins has to be on the team's 53-man roster, reserve/injured or reserve/physically unable to perform lists on the first game of the regular season and have completed requirements for the team's offseason workout program.
Jenkins insisted Thursday he was never concerned about contract talks with the team. Asked several ways about the negotiations and stories about problems with the talks, Jenkins answered the same way, saying, "I wasn't worried about the contract. My main focus is to play football," and "I wasn't worrying about the business side."
Asked about things said and written about issues in his past, Jenkins said, "I block that out and use it as motivation. People are going to say what they're going to say."
The figures are also in on the contract for cornerback Trumaine Johnson, the team's third-round pick. Johnson, who missed his first rookie practice because he overslept and missed his flight from Stockton, Calif., signed a four-year deal for $3,040,676 that includes a $671,176 signing bonus. His base salaries are $390,000; $499,000; $643,000 and $807,500. In 2013, $25,000 of his base salary is guaranteed and he also has a $30,000 guaranteed roster bonus to be paid on the first day of the 2013 league year. Except for this year, Johnson's base salaries are actually higher than those of Jenkins.
Johnson said he didn't hear his alarm go off Wednesday morning and got on a later flight, arriving in St. Louis at about 6 pm.
During a chat on the team website, general manager Les Snead was asked about contract negotiations with defensive end Chris Long and linebacker James Laurinaitis, both of whom are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents after the season.
Snead said, "Those negotiations are on point, on pace and those are the types of players ... that you invest in and you envision helping this organization thrive for a long time."
"I'm very excited. Everybody's excited. Vets are inside watching practice through the window and coming in early and lifting and doing that kind of stuff. So everybody's excited to get going. They're ready to go out and play. The next step is pads and then the step after that is go play somebody else." - Coach Jeff Fisher on the start of training camp.
