Pasquarelli writes:
Bulger deal imminent? Depending on how things play out in another quarterback soap opera in the Sunshine State, at Jacksonville, agent Tom Condon of Creative Artists' Agency could have four interesting negotiations involving signal-callers in the next month or two. He's in the very early stages of working on a deal for Dallas starter Tony Romo, will have to get a contract completed for Cleveland first-round pick Brady Quinn, and might be approached about an extension for Byron Leftwich of the Jaguars.
Each, in its own way, figures to be a difficult negotiation. But the contract that Condon is most likely to complete with some degree of facility figures to be the extension to which the St. Louis Rams likely will sign
Marc Bulger before the start of training camp. Of the four, that one should be the "no-brainer" of the bunch. Arguably the league's least-appreciated passer, and coming off the best statistical season of his career, Bulger wants to finish his career in St. Louis. And the Rams, it seems, want him back for the long term. With Bulger entering the final year of his current deal, and scheduled to have a base salary of only about $4 million, the two sides have been discussing an extension for several weeks. And Condon and team president Jay Zygmunt, who have a solid working relationship, were tentatively scheduled to meet this week for face-to-face bargaining, which should hasten the process a bit.
• Big plans for Bennett: On the subject of Bulger and the Rams, the veteran quarterback seems to have forged a quick relationship with Drew Bennett, the newest weapon in his wide receiver arsenal. The team's biggest offseason acquisition on the offensive side, Bennett, signed as an unrestricted free agent after six seasons in Tennessee, provides Bulger a different kind of receiver than either of St. Louis' other two stars,
Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce.
Bennett is 6-foot-5 and 206 pounds, one of the biggest wide receivers in the league, and an imposing target. And it appeared at this week's minicamp, where observers said Bulger threw the heck out of the ball, that Bennett could make an impact in the red zone in 2007. Despite his great size, Bennett has never been much of a force inside the 20-yard line. However, as his 14.8-yard career average demonstrates, he can get vertical for a guy with such a long-strider's gait. Bennett has averaged a remarkable 26.8 yards per touchdown catch on his 18 scores over the past three seasons, and six of those have been for 40 yards or more. Only seven of the scores, though, came in the red zone. If the minicamp this week was a sign of things to come in the St. Louis offense, look for coach Scott Linehan to seek out advantageous red-zone matchups for Bennett in 2007.
GO RAMS 
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