Butler Departs, Brown Official/Wagoner

Butler Departs, Brown Official

- Safety James Butler is leaving St. Louis without a signed contract after spending Friday night in town with Rams personnel.

- Butler’s departure doesn’t preclude him from striking a deal with the Rams though the team remains hopeful of getting something done with him.

- Butler is expected to head to Cleveland for a visit with the Browns, perhaps as soon as today though those plans are not confirmed.

- Center Jason Brown is officially in the fold on a five-year deal. The Rams will introduce him at a 4 p.m. news conference.

- On the Ron Bartell front, it appears as though he will not be landing permanently in New Orleans.

- The Saints spent big money to re-sign linebacker Jonathan Vilma and tackle Jon Stinchcomb. That puts them up against it in terms of the salary cap and means they likely don’t have the funds necessary to get something done with Bartell.

- The Rams remain interested in bringing Bartell back as talks continue.

Very glad we got Brown, but I really want Bartell back as well. Hopefully we can still get him for a fair deal, but it looks like somebody will pay more than we will for him.