St. Louis Rams agree to terms with center Jason Brown
September 30, 2009 - Jason Brown of the Baltimore Ravens moves on the field during a game against the Cleveland Browns. Brown agreed to terms with the St. Louis Rams on February 27, 2009. By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/28/2009
The Rams have a new, 320-pound anchor for their offensive line. He's center Jason Brown, who agreed to terms Friday evening on a five-year deal worth $37.5 million. Of that total, $20 million is in the form of guaranteed money, according to league sources.
Brown fits the parameters of what the Rams are looking for in free agency as they attempt to rebuild a team that has lost 27 of its past 32 games. So does New York Giants safety James Butler, who could be the next free agent to sign with St. Louis.
They are young, still-developing players whose best football remains ahead of them. Brown, who spent his first four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, turns 26 in May. Butler will be 27 in September.
Brown is listed as 6-3, 320 pounds, or about 30 pounds heavier than either of the Rams' starting centers a year ago — Nick Leckey and Brett Romberg.
"We stressed even during the season about getting bigger on the offensive line, more physical, and he fits everything," general manager Billy Devaney said earlier in the day. "(Jason's) smart, big, young, and of strong character.
"The arrow's still going up on him — an ascending player. So there's a lot of good traits about him. And Butler — the same thing. He's in the prime of his career. He's a good player. If he's here, we have a good mix between he and O.J. (Atogwe) size-wise.
"They would complement each other. And as an added bonus, he knows this defense inside and out. He knows the lingo; he'd be able to kind of help out on the field."
The Rams' new head coach, Steve Spagnuolo, was defensive coordinator the past two years for the Giants, so he obviously knows Butler well.
Brown was the first to arrive at Rams Park on Friday morning for his free-agent visit, with Butler arriving a few hours later. So negotiations with Butler's agent were several hours behind those with Brown.
A fourth-round draft pick in 2005 out of North Carolina, Brown started only one game as a rookie in '05 but moved into Baltimore's starting lineup for good in Game 5 of the '06 season. His first 30 NFL regular-season and playoff starts were at left guard, but he moved to center this past season, starting all 19 Ravens regular-season and playoff contests there. The Rams plan to use him at center as well.
Brown was one of the most highly regarded offensive linemen in this year's free-agent pool, and for a while it appeared Washington had the inside track. But the Rams got the all-important first visit, and contract terms were reached roughly 12 hours after his arrival in St. Louis.
While working on Brown and Butler, the Rams continued efforts to keep cornerback Ron Bartell in a Rams uniform. While negotiations continued Friday, Bartell traveled to New Orleans for a free-agent visit with the Saints.
There were signs that the Rams and Bartell's agent had closed the gap, but not enough to prevent Bartell from getting on a plane to New Orleans by afternoon.
"We've been talking now for a couple of weeks," Devaney said. "And it's been a slower process. ...With Bartell, we would've been better off to do something this past summer. That being said, we're kind of making progress with Ron also."
The Rams also have talked to the agents of wide receivers Nate Washington (Pittsburgh) and Brandon Jones (Tennessee), and tight end Billy Bajema (San Francisco), but no free-agent trips have been scheduled. Giants running back Derrick Ward said in a national radio interview that he had spoken with Spagnuolo after the start of the free agency period, but again, no visit has been set.
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