Rams Acquire Aeneas Williams

The St. Louis Rams acquired six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Aeneas Williams from the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday.

The Rams began the day with 12 draft picks, including three in the first round, and dealt from strength. They gave the Cardinals second- and fourth-round picks.

Arizona got the Rams’ second pick of the second round and a fourth-rounder.

“Aeneas deserves the opportunity to go on,” Cardinal General Manager Bob Ferguson said. “We’re going to miss him greatly.”

The deal was concluded about a half-hour before Saturday’s draft after the Rams and Williams’ agent, Eugene Parker, agreed on a contract. The Rams had been offering a three-year, $13-million deal with $7 million of that total guaranteed. That included a $3-million signing bonus.

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The San Francisco 49ers appear to be closing in on a deal with free agent defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield, who was the NFL’s defensive player of the year with San Francisco in 1997.

Stubblefield spent three unhappy years with the Washington Redskins, who cut him this spring. The 49ers expect to add him to a defensive line already bolstered by first-round pick Andre Carter.

“It’s not done yet, but we’re hopeful it will be,” 49er General Manager Bill Walsh said.

He’s expected to get a back-loaded deal that doesn’t pay much more than $500,000 per year.