Steven Jackson wasn’t able to hit the statistical plateaus that would have allowed him to void out the final two years of his contract, but the Rams are going to let him slide on the last one anyway.
According to Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com, the Rams decision will allow Jackson to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2012 season.
The first-round pick in 2004 has led the team in rushing every year since 2005, and was set to make a base salary of $7 million next year. Jackson apparently fell short of receiving yardage benchmarks to fall short of erasing the final two seasons anyway.
It’s an interesting move, since unless you’re a Carolina Panther or under 26 or so, the market for running backs is a soft one.
Jackson’s still talented, but the odds of him making that kind of cash as a 30-year-old in 2013 seem long, and the Rams apparently weren’t interested at him at that rate anyway.