His Big Payday Can Wait : Slater Is Eager to Cash In on His Worth but Says He’ll Work Hard, Keep Patient Until the Time Comes

ANAHEIM — Jackie Slater, the wide-eyed 22-year-old Ram rookie offensive lineman, sat quietly to the side as teammates Jack Youngblood and Rich Saul exchanged pleasantries with Cincinnati’s Coy Bacon.

“It’s 1976,” Slater said, “and I’m just sitting there with these veterans, hanging on every word and sucking it all up. Jack and Rich are like in their seventh or eighth years in the league and Coy, a well-traveled Pro Bowler, is in his 13th.

“I remember Coy is getting ready to leave and everyone stands up and shakes hands, and then Coy just looks right into the eyes of Jack and Rich. He’s real serious, and he says, ‘I’m going to make $100,000 before I leave this league.’ ”

Slater laughed, his reaction today far different than the one expressed 17 years ago.

“I was shocked,” he said. “I remember thinking: What in the world is one man going to do with a whole $100,000 in one year’s time?”

Pocket change in 1993. Over the next two years, the Chargers will pay ex-Ram guard Joe Milinichik $2.2 million. Joe Milinichik.

Denver will pay Minnesota guard Brian Habib $4.3 million over the next three years. Indianapolis has agreed to pay Viking center Kirk Lowdermilk $6 million over the next three years, and the Colts have offered Buffalo tackle Will Wolford $7.65 million over three years. $7.65 million.

“Staggering numbers,” Slater said.

Staggering numbers, of course, are what Jackie Slater has been all about. He has played in 238 games for the Rams, a franchise record. He has started 194 consecutive games, a monumental testament to his dependability. He has played in six Pro Bowls, a tribute to his accountability.

After the 1992 season--his 17th year in the NFL--the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association voted Jackie Slater the Daniel F. Reeves Memorial Award as the Rams’ most valuable player. A staggering accomplishment for a 38-year-old offensive tackle.

“At my age, I can’t make a lot of plans and look too far down the road,” Slater said. “But the one thing that I have maintained the past 17 years is a love and passion for this game. That’s what drives me to come in here four days a week in the off-season to run and lift and do the things the 22-year-old kids are doing.

“I’ve always viewed the money part of the game as a fringe benefit over the years. It’s never been my central focus, but towards the end of my career here, I’ve tried to challenge myself with different things to still play at that Pro Bowl level.

“So I’m constantly looking for things to challenge myself to keep going, and now we’ve got this free agency. I’m one of the few people in major sports to have seen this go from one extreme to the other, and perhaps even have the opportunity to participate in it. That possibility, well, it brings a smile to my face.”

Coy Bacon was born two decades prematurely.

“The thing I’m curious about with free agency, and me being 39 this year, is how can I push myself to increase my value?” Slater said. “What is my value? I’m not talking about going to another team, but can I find out what my value is? I get stimulated thinking about that.

“I’d certainly have to play beyond this year to find that out. That motivates me. I would be lying to you if I sat here and told you the possibility of participating in an economic arena like this is not a stimulant. It certainly is, but more than the money, I also continue to be driven to be just the best football player I can be.”

Slater is entering the final season of a two-year contract calling for $1.1 million in 1993. A tidy sum, until one considers the present economic climate in the NFL. Milinichik would have drawn the same pay had he accepted the Rams’ offer, and while Slater is headed for the Hall of Fame, Milinichik probably will have to buy an admission ticket.

Irv Eatman, hired to replace Gerald Perry, will make as much as Slater this season. Without free agency, Eatman’s best chance of earning Slater’s salary would be a weekly lottery investment.

“The money I’m making now is obviously good money,” Slater said. “I wouldn’t want to overestimate my value, but as I view myself and the contributions that I have made, then, sure, it could be said that I’m worthy of a raise.

“But I have a contract, it’s a binding agreement, and I can’t go in and ask for a raise. I can’t control what the guy next to me is making. The Rams have always been fair with me. If the Rams want to do something like that and take care of me, then great, I’d certainly be pleased.”

No moaning, no groaning. Slater will not press the Rams, and he will not begrudge his teammates their success on the open market. His only regret is that far too many friends missed this payday.

“Look at that guy,” Slater said, pointing to a picture of former Ram guard and teammate Dennis Harrah. “He was one of the best. If he was still around, he’d be a $2.5-million football player.

“It makes me feel very sad, but also makes me feel very fortunate when I look at a guy like that. He was one year older than me, and the other guy in the picture (Irv Pankey) was four years younger. Neither one of them is playing right now, and that’s what helps to keep things in perspective.

“I look at Jack Youngblood, Dennis, Doug France and Charlie Cowan and guys like that, and they never had the opportunity to make even the money I’m making today.”

When the Rams signed Slater in 1976, Slater was paid “twenty-some-thousand dollars,” and he was happy to get it, he said. In the years since, he has represented himself and has climbed the financial ladder. Few players have enjoyed such a successful run.

In 1984, however, he caught a glimpse of the impact of free agency. The Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League offered Slater a multi-year contract in excess of $2 million. Slater, who was due to earn $220,000 in 1984, considered the offer, but rated the Express’ financial standing too shaky.

“That was my only brush with free agency,” he said. “I see what’s happening now, and I’m happy for the guys. It’s about time offensive linemen began to be paid for the value they bring to the success of a football team. They’ve always been held in high esteem, but it’s been the kind of situation where it’s really not talked about.

“People are beginning to realize if you want to be competitive, you have to start treating those big guys with the same kind of financial respect as the other guys. It’s the American way.”

Slater’s knack for survival makes him an ideal model for any upstart football player who wants to earn a lot of money. Rookies will be subject to a salary cap this year, and the big money will go to the established players.

“Everybody who was excited about free agency isn’t going to realize that big million dollars,” Slater said. “The rookies are going to make less money and are going to have to prove themselves over a period of time. That’s very, very positive.

“Players are going to have to compete harder and work harder to leap into that higher echelon, or they are going to be replaced by some young guy who offers that possibility of making that leap sometime in the future. Money is going to separate players, and the middle-of-the-road guy who is hoping to hang on is going to be out of a job.

“I think this is going to improve the level of competition around the league. I like it. You have to compete. You’re going to have hungry guys, and the ones who are motivated by money are going to be fighting to get better and better for that big payday.”

The love of the game has been enough to keep Slater going for 17 years. As he prepares for No. 18 with money flying all around him, he can’t help but notice, yet nothing has changed.

“The reason I’m still playing is because I want to be here,” Slater said, “and I’m still playing the kind of football that you have to have to be successful as a team. That’s what drives me; that’s still what this game is all about.”