St. Louis Rams, Marshall Faulk agree to new contract

By Hugo Guzman  |   Monday, February 28, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

St. Louis Rams
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ST. LOUIS, Missouri - Marshall Faulk, now resigned to a backup role with the Rams, has agreed to a pay cut in a restructured contract that will essentially guarantee he'll end his career in St. Louis. Faulk, an 11-year veteran who turned 32 Saturday, just finished the third year of a seven-year contract. He would have made $6 million in salary and workout bonuses in 2005.

Under the new four-year deal, Faulk gets a $2 million signing bonus this year, and will earn $2 million in both 2005 and 2006, said his agent, Rocky Arceneaux. Arceneaux said the salary would average $3 million per year over the four years of the deal.

Earlier this month, coach Mike Martz said that rookie Steven Jackson would be the starter next season. Jackson was the team's first-round pick last year.

Faulk played his first five seasons in Indianapolis before coming to St. Louis in 1999, helping the Rams win their first Super Bowl that year and winning the NFL MVP the following season. He is the only player in history with 2,000 combined rushing and receiving yards in four straight seasons, 1998-2001.

He won offensive player of the year awards following the 1999, 2000 and 2001 seasons and also helped the Rams reach the Super Bowl in the 2001 season. However, injuries and age have slowed him in recent seasons. Sharing time with Jackson last year, Faulk rushed for 774 yards, an average of four yards per carry, and caught 50 passes for 310 yards.

The new agreement saves about $1.5 million in salary cap space, which could be important as the Rams try to fill holes to shore up a defense that struggled most of last season, especially against the run.

Last season, Pittsburgh veteran running back Jerome Bettis moved to a backup role after the Steelers signed Duce Staley, and Bettis seemed invigorated, rushing for 100 yards in seven of eight starts after Staley was injured.
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About Hugo Guzman

Co-founder of RealFootball365.com. Born in Argentina, of Dominican descent, living in Hoboken, but from Miami through and ...
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