When it comes to the National Football League, there’s the football season, and the business season. Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe may be about to discover first-hand how cold the business season can be.
League sources told the Post-Dispatch late Wednesday that the St. Louis Rams are strongly considering placing the lowest tender offer possible _ the right of first refusal tender _ on Atogwe. Such a tender gives the Rams the right to match any outside offer on Atogwe as a restricted free agent, but the Rams would get no draft-pick compensation if they chose not to match.
By giving Atogwe the right of first refusal tender, the Rams have to pay him only $1.226 million. Per league rules, any other tender offer _ 1.) original draft round, 2.) second round, 3.) first round, or 4.) first and third round _ would cost the Rams $6.976 million, or 110 percent of what Atogwe earned last year as the team’s franchise player.
So such a move would save the Rams $5.75 million, but may not leave Atogwe in the best of moods. He accepted the team’s franchise tag last season without a peep, showing up for all of the team’s minicamps and offseason work.
Thursday is the deadline for making tender offers on restricted free agents.
***No more Wroten: Even though he hasn’t played for St. Louis since 2007, the Rams still held the rights to defensive tackle Claude Wroten. Until Wednesday that is, when he was formally released.
League sources told the Post-Dispatch late Wednesday that the St. Louis Rams are strongly considering placing the lowest tender offer possible _ the right of first refusal tender _ on Atogwe. Such a tender gives the Rams the right to match any outside offer on Atogwe as a restricted free agent, but the Rams would get no draft-pick compensation if they chose not to match.
By giving Atogwe the right of first refusal tender, the Rams have to pay him only $1.226 million. Per league rules, any other tender offer _ 1.) original draft round, 2.) second round, 3.) first round, or 4.) first and third round _ would cost the Rams $6.976 million, or 110 percent of what Atogwe earned last year as the team’s franchise player.
So such a move would save the Rams $5.75 million, but may not leave Atogwe in the best of moods. He accepted the team’s franchise tag last season without a peep, showing up for all of the team’s minicamps and offseason work.
Thursday is the deadline for making tender offers on restricted free agents.
***No more Wroten: Even though he hasn’t played for St. Louis since 2007, the Rams still held the rights to defensive tackle Claude Wroten. Until Wednesday that is, when he was formally released.
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