The St. Louis Rams signed second-round draft pick Rodger Saffold, the offensive tackle from Indiana University on Wednesday.
"I wanted to be able to come into camp on time _ for my team, also for myself," Saffold said, shortly after signing a four-year contract. "I wanted to be able to fully experience the rookie season and I can't do that if I'm missing practice."
The basic contract is worth $6.278 million, but can max out at just under $6.6 million if Pro Bowl incentives are met. Saffold gets $3.9 million in guaranteed money.
Saffold's agents arrived in St. Louis on Tuesday night, and instead of waiting for a scheduled Wednesday meeting, met with Rams executive vice president for football operations Kevin Demoff that evening.
Unable to resolve a couple of issues Tuesday, the parties met again Wednesday morning and were able to hammer out an agreement.
"Everything worked out exceptionally well," said agent Alan Herman, who represents Saffold along with Jared Fox. "It's very important for a guy who's projected to start to be there the first day (of camp)."
Saffold said he was a little anxious about getting his deal done as camp approached.
"I'm just really excited to finally have it done and be a Ram completely," Saffold said.
With Saffold in the fold, the only remaining unsigned draft pick is quarterback Sam Bradford, the No. 1 overall selection from Oklahoma. Talks between the Rams and Bradford's agents continue.
Saffold, the first player taken in the second round, is expected to be the team's starting right tackle this season. He started 41 games during his career with the Hoosiers, registering 171 knockdown blocks and 20 touchdown-resulting blocks.
As a senior, he allowed only three sacks on 440 pass plays, but was only a second-team all-Big 10 selection. But Saffold caught the eyes of pro scouts this past offseason with strong workouts and performances during the pre-draft process.
Saffold missed the last portion of the Rams' spring offseason practice program with a knee injury, but is expected to be full-go for the start of training camp. Rookies and selected veterans hold their first practices of camp Thursday at Rams Park.
"My knee is great," Saffold said. "I'm 100 percent, just ready to go."
