Good news...St. Louis Rams FS Oshiomogho Atogwe will indeed sign his franchise tender, setting him up with a one year deal worth $6.342 million. It also buys Atogwe and the team more time to hammer out a long-term deal, something both parties have been quite clear about their desire to achieve. Ed. Note: Nope, they can still negotiate a long-term deal, but Atogwe can't sign it until after the season. Originally, it was reported that they could reach a long-term deal, which I guess is technically correct; they just can't sign it until the season ends. The trading thing is still pretty weak.
Update: As for what a long-term deal might look like, as I've said before, the deal Dallas and Ken Hamlin worked out is a decent ballpark comparison, from our perspective.
Another Update: If you want to see a prime example of irresponsibile speculation and what gives the internet a bad name, look no further than ProFootballTalk.com, no stranger to the practice of speculation. In reporting the Atogwe news on their "rumors" blog they said this:
Though it might be a coincidence, there's a chance that signing the tender is a precursor to a multi-year deal, possibly with a new team to which Atogwe would be traded.
Foolishness. Bot the Rams and Atogwe have been quite clear on their mutal desire to work out a deal, with the Rams front office on record with their opinion that Atogwe figures prominently into the rebuilding franchise's long-term plans. Members of this site, readers of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and other, reliable media outlets know this. Unless they're trading for a real shutdown corner, moving Atogwe would really screw with a defensive backfield already planning to rely heavily on rookies this season. Even if things went to hell in a handbasket in negotiations with Atogwe, why would the Rams trade him now that he's signed his franchise tender AND will still be a restricted free agent next season? This isn't the first time PFT got it wrong with speculation about the Rams, exhibit A and exhibit B.