Frontiere Gives OK, So Rams Sign Bartkowski to a One-Year Contract
Re-enacting fairly recent history, the Rams signed a quarterback in his mid-30s with bad knees Thursday.
With his experience and knowledge of NFL defenses, though, the Rams apparently are convinced that this quarterback is the missing link to the Super Bowl.
Nine years ago, his name was Joe Namath.
Today, it’s Steve Bartkowski.
The Rams signed the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback to a one-year contract in a deal that was all but finished last week, when Bartkowski passed a few footballs and a physical in a tryout at Rams Park in Anaheim.
Bartkowski’s attorney, Leigh Steinberg, and Ram officials were just awaiting final approval from owner Georgia Frontiere.
They got it Thursday.
Bartkowski, 33, will earn $250,000 for the 1986 season, considerably less than the $575,000 he was paid by the Falcons.
At this point in his career, Bartkowski seems less concerned about the money.
“I’m extremely excited,” he said Thursday. “I feel like a rookie again.”
Sources said that Bartkowski, if he realizes certain incentives--such as becoming the Ram starter--could boost his income.
An 11-year veteran, Bartkowski has long been one of the league’s best passers, but five operations on his right knee have slowed him considerably in recent years.
The Falcons released him last season, and Bartkowski was later picked up by the Washington Redskins when they lost starter Joe Theismann with a broken leg.
Bartkowski was selected to play in the Pro Bowl after the 1980 and ’81 seasons, and in 1984 he led the NFL in completion percentage with 67.3%.
The logic behind the signing?
The Rams made it to the NFC title game last season but finished last in the NFL in passing.
Quarterback Dieter Brock, who started 15 of 16 regular-season games and completed 59% of his passes in 1985, failed to win the hearts of Ram fans or the media.
Coach John Robinson defended Brock’s performances all season and afterward, but after Bartkowski’s tryout last week, Robinson said the position for the starting job will be competitive.
“We have to pass more,” Robinson said.
