Rams Still In On V-Jax

I have been getting a ton of questions from Rams fan about where the team stands on wide receiver Vincent Jackson. There have been plenty of rumors that the Rams are one of the teams interested in the troubled Charger, but what are the chances he ends up in the Gateway City? I’m not ready to rule anything out, but I would also be fairly surprised if the team traded for Jackson.

First, from what I understand, the Chargers won’t be making this deal unless one of two things happens. 1) The prospective team reaches a one-year deal with Jackson and surrenders one or two 2011 draft picks from the third round or later. 2) A team signs Jackson to a multi-year deal, but in return the Chargers get draft picks in the top two rounds. The reason for this is apparently because the Chargers will get a compensatory pick in next year’s draft if Jackson leaves through free agency after this season.

If the above is true, it would make little sense to bring Jackson in. This team isn’t going to compete this season, so a one-year deal wouldn’t be smart. If we want to sign him long-term, I don’t know if giving up high, valuable picks is a direction this team wants to go. The Rams are committed to building through the draft, and they aren’t going to surrender those picks for a guy with some serious issues with the league.

If the price comes down I could see the Rams making a play, but my guess would be that Jackson ends up in Minnesota. The Vikes are 0-2, which is unacceptable for a team expected to contend for the Super Bowl. They need receiving help badly, and desperation  might just get the best of them.

Injury Notes: A few injury tidbits from Coach Spags today. TE Billy Bajema is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with an MCL sprain. Obviously depth at tight end has become an issue with Illini Mike out and Daniel Fells hobbled by an MCL sprain as well, so expect to see Darcy Johnson on the field this week with the possibility of Fendi Onobun seeing a bit of action. Darell Scott will likely miss this week’s game as well with a high ankle sprain. Clifton Ryan is seeing another doctor this week about his migraines, so we should know more in a few days. Steven Jackson and Rodger Saffold are both sore but are expected to be fine.