Green Signs, but Rams Will Pay Him Later
They said it couldn’t be done, that there wasn’t a chance in John Shaw’s bottom-line budget that the Rams’ No. 1 draft choice, Gaston Green, would sign a contract comparable to Tim Brown’s with the Raiders.
Well, it happened. And of course, there’s a hitch in the deal the size of Mongolia.
Stealing a page from Al Davis, the Rams signed Green Wednesday to the same one-year deal Brown received last week. It’s the latest in new-wave negotiating: Get your player in training camp now and worry about the details later.
Green’s deal matches Brown’s contract to the penny. The former UCLA running back will receive a $300,000 signing bonus and $150,000 in base salary this year, with an option year. Remember, that’s just for starters.
The final numbers will look quite different. Brown, it has been reported, will eventually receive a 4-year package worth about $2.8 million. Green, sources say, will settle for a contract similar to the one signed by the Dallas Cowboys’ first-round pick, Michael Irvin, who received $1.875 million for 4 years.
Agent Leigh Steinberg was seeking something in the $2-million range for Green but admitted Wednesday that Irvin, the 11th pick overall, and Green, the 14th selection, were relatively even in value.
The sign-Green-now, pay-him-later idea was born out of the frustration of Tuesday, when Steinberg and John Shaw negotiated for more than five hours without resolution.
“We had pretty much induced ourselves into deep sleep,” Steinberg said. “We just looked at each other and said we couldn’t go on any longer.”
Steinberg and Shaw were both anxious to get Green into training camp by today, when Ram veterans report.
The Rams are left with only one unsigned draft choice, third-round pick Mike Piel.
Ram Notes
The Rams put veteran wide receiver Kevin House on waivers but have given him the option, if he clears, to return to the team Friday for last year’s salary of $225,000. . . . A handful of Ram veterans remained unsigned and figure to be holdouts today when veterans report to Fullerton. The best-bet holdouts going in are defensive linemen Doug Reed, Shawn Miller and Greg Meisner. “We clearly have a problem on the defensive line,” Robinson said this week. “But we’re not going to wait. We’ll look for alternatives. The parade starts Thursday.” . . . Wide receiver Aaron Cox, who just signed Tuesday night, caught one pass for 10 yards in Wednesday morning’s scrimmage against the San Diego Chargers. . . . Add Gaston Green signing: Agent Leigh Steinberg said he left his wallet in John Shaw’s office at Rams Park. When did he get it back? “I haven’t,” Steinberg said. “John Shaw has even suceeded in separating me from my wallet.”
