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Rams make contract offers
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/26/2007

INDIANAPOLIS — The Rams have made one-year tender offers to three restricted free agents and have cut ties with two others.

According to league sources, the Rams have made one-year contract offers to linebacker Brandon Chillar, tight end Aaron Walker and offensive lineman Adam Goldberg. Restricted free agents have three years of NFL experience. By making the offers, the Rams get matching rights on any outside offers the players might get once the free agency period starts Friday. If the Rams don't match, they are eligible to receive draft-pick compensation.

There are three levels of tender offers, which in turn determine the level of draft-pick compensation. As of Sunday night, it wasn't clear at what level the Rams had tendered Chillar, Walker and Goldberg. If, as expected, the Rams tender the three players at the $850,000 — or minimum — level, they would get a fourth-round pick for Chillar, a fifth-rounder for Walker and no draft pick compensation for Goldberg (because he entered the league as an undrafted rookie.)

Chillar was the Rams' starting strongside linebacker in 2006, registering a career-high 77 tackles, with two sacks and five pass breakups. Walker was the Rams' No. 2 tight end behind starter Joe Klopfenstein. Primarily a blocker, Walker finished the season with five catches for 68 yards. Goldberg, a backup at guard and tackle, started two games last The Rams did not make offers to center Larry Turner and safety Dwaine Carpenter, effectively cutting ties with those players. Both will become free agents Friday. Turner, a seventh-round pick by the Rams in 2004, played in three games last season. Carpenter appeared in nine games, recording five special-teams stops and recovering a fumbled punt.

Faulk update

Turns out the Rams quietly did yet another contract renegotiation with running back Marshall Faulk last July. The revised deal lowered his base salary to $1 million (from $2 million) in '06; to $820,000 (from $2.6 million) in '07; and to $830,000 (from $3.2 million) in '08.

As part of the latest renegotiation, Faulk also is due a $225,000 roster bonus at the end of next week. Although the Rams expect Faulk to retire, it's possible they will still pay out that bonus. Despite the altered base salaries, the Rams remain on the hook for about a $4 million cap hit once Faulk retires — in the form of unamortized signing bonus money from past renegotiations.