Rams Lock Up Atogwe

For anyone who hasn’t heard or who doesn’t follow me on Twitter (shameless plug), the Rams inked free agent safety OJ Atogwe to a long-term deal earlier today. I haven’t seen any official numbers on the deal, but rumor has it that OJ will make about $5 million a year for four or five seasons. I have made my stance on Atogwe known numerous times on this blog, so I won’t get into it again. Suffice it to say, I am very pleased with this deal, although I would have preferred the contract to be a little shorter than five years.

If Atogwe is making $5 mil a year, that is close to $2 mil less than we would have paid him if we would have given him his 110% increase on last year’s salary, although that would have only been for one season and this is apparently for numerous years. Anyway, the Rams played this perfectly, and although i think they might have been able to wait Atogwe out a little longer to get his tag even lower, the loyalty factor by both the player and the organization make it worth a little extra.

In a few highlights from his conference call, Atogwe said that talks with other teams never got too heated, and that the Rams were always the front-runner for his services. Atogwe also said he has unfinished business in St. Louis, and he wants to help bring this organization back to prominence. As far as his health is concerned, Atogwe said he still has to get clearance from a doctor to practice fully, but he expects to be fine for camp.  All in all, it looks like everyone is happy here, which is exactly what we want. Welcome back, OJ!