Atogwe pricing himself off the field?

by Ryan Van Bibber on Jun 5, 2010 11:44 AM CDT in 2010 St. Louis Rams offseason

You'd think teams would be lining up to sign St. Louis Rams kinda-sorta unrestricted free agent Oshiomogho Atogwe, what with the interceptions and forced fumbles and all that. Instead, teams lined up to say they weren't interested in Atogwe in the days immediately following his arrival on the open market. Why? Concerns about his shoulder? Maybe. Price too high? Bingo.

The Lions, one of the few teams maintaining interest in Atogwe this week, do not want to pay the price reportedly being asked by Atogwe.

The Rams are in this situation with Atogwe because they didn't want to pay the five year veteran the $6.9 million he commanded as a RFA thanks to the expiration of the league's CBA. Devaney and Kevin Demoff, the team's contract guru, are still said to be negotiating with Atogwe. But what will it take?

There's been some talk that Atogwe should seek out a reasonable one-year deal, reestablish himself and look for a payday ahead of the 2011 season. There's one big problem with that: there might not be a 2011 season. Even if the labor situation gets ironed out, the landscape is likely to be a little different, and the cap will be back, which means Atogwe's prospects for a big free agent contract next year are just as cloudy as they now.

There's not a time limit for Atogwe to sign a deal, though ideally something would happen in time for training camps to start. In the meantime, demands and needs for him and interested teams are likely to change.

What exactly is Atogwe worth? His ball skills are among the league's best over the last few seasons, with the exception of a down season last year. Still, he's not regarded as a premier safety, and the holes in his game, like run defense, are well documented. Some contracts handed out to safeties this year include:

At the high end, there's the deal the Giants gave Antrel Rolle, a five-year, $37 million contract with $15 million guaranteed. He'll get almost $10 million this year with a $5 million signing bonus and $4.75 million salary.
Nick Collins signed a four-year, $27 million deal with $14 million guaranteed. He has 13 INTS over the last two seasons, and one less year of experience than Atogwe who is two years older.

If the Rams really offered Atogwe a deal similar to the four-year, $14 million deal they gave James Butler last year, you can see why he's upset given what the market price set for safeties. The Nick Collins deal might be a little more than what Atogwe is worth, but it's not too far off the mark...or so you'd think. Whatever his asking price is at the moment, it's turning off suitors. So what kind of deal is reasonable for Atogwe, given the market realities and his ability?

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I'm gonna expand on this idea in a piece either today or tomorrow, but

I think it’s just the relative value of safeties. Every team has a certain value they place on each position – maybe FS isn’t that valuable of a spot for the Rams, akin to OLB. Obviously, it’s not that much of a premium for other teams, since nobody’s made an un-pass-uppable offer.
I wonder, though, it’s looking more and more like Atogwe’s business handlers misread the financial climate before moving this far.

You don't seem to want to accept the fact you're dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare, with a man who's the best, with guns, with knives, with his bare hands. A man who's been trained to ignore pain, ignore weather, to live off the land, to eat things that would make a billy goat puke. In *St. Louis* his job was to dispose of enemy personnel. To kill! Period! Win by attrition. Well, *Steven Jackson* was the best.

by 3k on Jun 5, 2010 1:48 PM CDT reply actions

4 years, $22 mil, $10 mil guaranteed

I think that’s about what he’s worth. We’d be on the hook for him until he’s 33, but I have no reason to think he won’t be able to play at a high level until then.

by postrophemo on Jun 5, 2010 1:49 PM CDT reply actions

2 years, 10mil, 5 guaranteed

Considering injuries……..might still be too much.

Expectations don't produce!

by 2manyears on Jun 6, 2010 7:47 AM CDT up reply actions

He's had

a hernia all off season
im sure with that he’s not in shape
let alone football shape
no one wants to pay him to sit on the bench
that simple

by Magyar on Jun 5, 2010 5:09 PM CDT reply actions

I think you're right. He's got a questionable shoulder, a hernia, he's no young pup, and demands a high price.

I see Drew Bennett, Marc Bulger and Adam Carriker like issues all over this one. I think the Rams’ management and other teams do too. If we were going to spend a gazillion bucks of a defender, why didn’t we chase Julius Peppers? We’re much weaker on the defensive line than in the backfield. So long Atog.

by RamChop on Jun 5, 2010 6:14 PM CDT up reply actions

I can't help but think

that the old regime wouldn’t have hesitate to drop a silly contract in his lap. Don’t get me wrong, I love Togs. I was pining for the Rams to draft him long before that draft even took place… but the coaching staff obviously has their priorities in check. If he leaves, we’ll get over it.

What’s Rich Coady doing these days?

"Now there are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours of sleep; never play cards with a guy who's got the same first name as a city; and never go near a lady who has a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese." - Coach Bobby Finstock

by FailureDrill on Jun 6, 2010 5:07 PM CDT up reply actions

Togs has way to many injury issues to demand any large guaranteed money, he needs to accept the Rams offer and proove he still has it, if he aint willing then i say let him walk and don’t look back

If practice makes perfect....
Yet nobodies perfect.....
Then why practice ???

by peteyweestro on Jun 6, 2010 5:04 PM CDT reply actions