Sam Bradford to Sign Record Contract With Rams

The former Soooner will receive $50 million in guaranteed money.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:51 am

By: News On 6

Sam Bradford to Sign Record Contract With Rams

Originally Published: Jul 22, 2010 2:9 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

ST. LOUIS – Former OU quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford agreed in principal to a contract with the St. Louis Rams Friday that includes the most guaranteed money for a rookie in NFL history. The contract will make the former Sooner the highest-paid quarterback in the league.

Bradford signed a six-year, $78 million contract with $50 million guaranteed. With incentives, the deal could pay the former Sooner $86 million. The contracts of top overall selections have continued to increase each year, and Bradford’s deal surpasses the $41.7 million guaranteed to last year’s No. 1 pick Matthew Stafford. It was reported early Friday that Bradford had agreed to "numbers and terms," but it was not made official until late Friday. All Rams rookies were to report Wednesday, two days before the full team convened Friday for camp, but contract issues continued kept the top pick out of camp for the first three days.

Stafford reached his deal with the Detroit Lions before the NFL Draft, as did Jake Long with the Miami Dolphins before him. The last player who failed to agree to contract terms before being drafted was JaMarcus Russell in 2007.

Russell eventually held out through training camp and into the first week of the regular season before finally reaching terms with the Oakland Raiders. He went on to struggle with erratic play and questions about his work ethic and weight. He has since been cut, has not been signed by any other team and is considered one of the biggest busts in NFL history.

Bradford will be joining a Rams team that finished with the fifth-worst passing attack in the NFL last season and recorded just one win. St. Louis released previous starting quarterback Marc Bulger on April 5 per his request after it became clear the Rams were targeting Bradford.

The only experienced quarterbacks currently on the Rams roster are A.J. Feeley and Keith Null. Feeley has not thrown a pass since 2007, while Null’s only career starts came in the Rams’ final four games last season. He finished the season with three touchdowns and nine interceptions.