Howard Balzer

Rams Wheel and Deal Again in First Round

For the second consecutive year, the Rams ended up being wheelers and dealers in the first round of the draft.

In 2012, the Rams first moved from the second overall pick to sixth in a trade with the Washington Redskins that netted them a second-round pick, plus first-round choices this year and in 2014.

They entered Thursday with picks at 16 and 22 in the first round and didn’t use either one. The fact they had the No. 22 choice from Washington emboldened them to trade up to eighth in the first round with Buffalo to select wide receiver Tavon Austin....

Mock Draft: Who Each Team Should Select

Well, I held out long enough. You won’t see any Mock Draft 6.0 in this space. One is enough, but I profess to do it differently than many. After all, everyone loves to play general manager, so that’s the goal of this mock draft.

Rather than attempt to predict what a team will do, I prefer to say what each team should do. That does produce wild results, but then again, most mock drafts are far off anyway.

The one clear development is that I truly didn’t care much for what the choices were for the Rams when picks 16 and especially 22 arrived....

Balzer: Contract Figures Revealed for Chris Williams

The Rams now have $3.77 million of salary-cap space, which reflects the restructured contract for defensive end Chris Long and the one-year deal signed by guard Chris Williams.

The Williams contract, agreed to three weeks ago but submitted to the NFL Monday, is worth $1.376 million and includes a signing bonus of $451,154. (For those wondering, Rams executive Kevin Demoff likes to have bonuses be the same numbers frontward and backward.)

The Rams consider Williams mainly a guard, and he is expected to have the opportunity to compete with Shelley Smith and Rokevious Watkins for the starting job at left guard, although the Rams could add to their guard depth in the draft....

Balzer: Rams Restructure Long's Contract

Finally. It has been assumed for some time the Rams would have to restructure at least one of their players with large cap numbers to clear room in order to potentially sign a veteran or two after the draft as well as their draft class.

So it was on Friday that defensive end Chris Long signed a new contract that converts $6 million of his guaranteed $13.25 million salary this year and makes it a roster bonus. Normally, a roster bonus fully counts against the cap in the year it is paid, but because the money is guaranteed it is prorated over the four years left on his contract....

Balzer: Darian Stewart Signs for Less Than Tender

There were some raised eyebrows when Rams safety Darian Stewart was tendered as a restricted free agent at the beginning of the league year. The tender, $1.323 million, counted against the salary cap.

When Stewart signed on April 3, it was believed he had signed his tender. It turns out Stewart agreed to sign a deal for less money than the tender, apparently in exchange for guaranteed money in the form of a $300,000 signing bonus. His base salary is $700,000 and the deal includes $75,000 of incentives for interceptions, playing time and playoffs....

Balzer: Rams Cap Charges by Player

Balzer: Rams Convinced Long is Glue to Hold Line Together

There's no question in Jeff Fisher's mind the Rams have added an elite left tackle to their roster with the signing of Jake Long. He knows Long has to stay healthy for that to happen, but Long is out to prove his injuries are behind him and he can go back to being the dominant player he was during his first three seasons in Miami.

"It was definitely frustrating," Long said Thursday when asked about playing injured the last two seasons and missing six games. "The last couple years, I've had to battle through some injuries and it definitely wasn't ideal, but I think I battled through them well....

Balzer: Jake Long Contract Details

Tackle Jake Long has the opportunity to make a lot of money if he plays all the seasons on his four-year contract with the Rams. However, the team also has some safeguards in the contract in the event injuries continue and his performance suffers, as it did the last two seasons in Miami. Long missed a total of six games the last two seasons, including four in 2012.

As originally advertised, Long’s deal is worth $34 million in base terms over four years. However, while $20 million could end up being guaranteed, as of now only $12 million is fully guaranteed....

Balzer: Complete Figures for Rams Performance-Based Pay

Former Rams center/guard Rob Turner earned the top figure in the NFL’s “Performance-Based Pay” program that compensates players for playing time based upon their salary levels. Turner received $248,067.

League-wide, approximately $110.72 million of Performance-Based Pay will be distributed to players for their performance during the 2012 season.

Players have been paid nearly $700 million cumulatively since the inception of the Performance-Based Pay program, which was implemented as part of the NFL’s 2002 Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL Players Association....

Balzer: Details of Steven Jackson's New Contract

When running back Steven Jackson signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons last week, there were those that questioned whether a team should pay that much money to a running back that will be 30 years old in July. Especially in Green Bay, a team that had interest in Jackson, but indicated the contract was too rich for them.

As usual, however, the devil is in the details of NFL contracts. As reported after he signed, Jackson received $4 million guaranteed in the deal....