St. Louis Rams Go Back to the Drawing Board with Oshiomogho Atogwe

Less than a year after signing Oshiomogho Atogwe to a "multi-year" contract, the St. Louis Rams are once again looking at signing their star free-safety.  

Prior to the 2010 season, the Rams had an advantage of Atogwe being a restricted free agent.  After refusing to pay him an $8-million roster bonus, the remaining four years of his contract (and $26 million) will be voided and they will have to compete for him on the open market.

Only minimal attention was shown to Otogwe last offseason, in part due to concerns over the now-pending lockout and labor uncertainties.

"I believe that shaped a lot of negotiations, a lot of interest in this 2010 free-agency period," Atogwe said to NFL Network's Jason La Canfora. "It's real, and I believe a lot of players now who are looking to get extensions, looking to do long-term deals, are actually feeling the brunt, feeling the impact of that coming."

Atogwe has shown the ability to be a ball-hawking safety, amassing 22 interceptions in six seasons.  His career high was eight interceptions—to go along with 12 passes defensed—in 2007.

Working out a new deal needs to become an immediate concern for the Rams. Their defense finally started to perform to its potential in 2010 under head coach Steve Spagnuolo.  It seems unlikely he is ready to hand the position over to untested Darian Stewart.

Perhaps the pending labor uncertainties were a sticking point for the Rams last offseason. However, it would have been the ideal time to sign him to a long-term contract that had the potential to be honored.  Additionally, the uncapped season in 2010 would have been an ideal time to offer a roster bonus.

For all the moves the Rams have gotten right over the last 10 months, this one could come back to bite them.