Rams Retain the Rights to Gilbert and Everett

ANAHEIM — The Rams looked beyond their 16 unrestricted free agents Thursday and elected to secure the rights of first refusal on defensive tackle Sean Gilbert and quarterback Jim Everett, once their present contracts expire.

The Rams also declined to designate a “franchise player,” indicating they currently have no one who deserves to be paid the average salary of the top five players at their position.

“You get into semantics when you talk about the franchise player,” Ram Coach Chuck Knox said. “A franchise player has been known as a guy that is a bulwark, the rock of the franchise. That’s the term thrown around whenever you pick a draft choice--he’s a franchise player.

“This is a totally different description. This (franchise) player wants first refusal and the guarantee that he will be paid the average of the highest five players . . . in this context we don’t have one. I would guess the majority of teams won’t designate a franchise player under the meaning of this setup.”

The decision to protect Gilbert and Everett requires the Rams to tender contracts, which would pay them the average of the top 10 players at their respective positions, once their present contracts expire. Gilbert is signed through 1996 and will draw a base salary of $1,250,000 in his final year. Everett has three years remaining on his contract, which calls for a base salary of $2 million per year.

“It really wasn’t (difficult to decide whom to protect),” Knox said. “With Sean Gilbert we have a talented young football player coming up four years from now and now the Rams will retain first refusal.

“I would think a lot of teams would be inclined this way. It’s a little different than what people anticipated.”

Initially, teams were expected to use their exemptions on their present unrestricted free agents, such as Rams’ linebacker Kevin Greene and tackle Gerald Perry. Once teams realized they could protect their best players, regardless of whether they were under contract, the strategy changed.

“This doesn’t mean we don’t want those players back,” Knox said. “We would like to get them signed.”

The Rams believe Greene and Perry will find the going rate in the market place lower than what they had anticipated. Greene earned a base salary of $900,000 last season, while Perry was paid $420,000.

Unrestricted free agents will be free to sign elsewhere beginning Monday. The deadline for accepting another team’s offer is July 15.

“My guess is this will drag on for a while,” Knox said. “I don’t think there is any immediate hurry unless a player got a once-in-a-lifetime offer. I think people are going to take their time and their agents are going to shop around and see what the market value is.”

Knox, however, said the Rams will not wait until July 15 to complete their free-agent shopping. “I would think we have to know some time prior to that,” he said. “I’d like a lot of it cleaned up sometime in May.”

Knox said his unsigned players should not interpret the decision to protect Everett and Gilbert as a slight.

“If they understand what the situation is . . . they can always come back to us,” Knox said. “We can always be (financially) competitive. They have to understand what the situation is.”

The Rams will tender offers by Sunday’s deadline to their restricted free agents, which include running back Cleveland Gary, defensive end Bill Hawkins, running back Anthony Thompson and tight end Travis McNeal. These players may entertain offers elsewhere, but the Rams maintain first refusal rights and will be entitled to compensation should the players go to another team.

These players have until April 23--two days before the draft--to sign with another team.