Talks between the Rams and impending free agent tackle Rodger Saffold were expected to pick up this week and the two sides spoke, but it doesn’t sound like they laid the groundwork for an extension of Saffold’s stay in St. Louis.
Saffold’s agent Alan Herman told Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his client “definitely will be out in the free-agent market” when it opens up on Tuesday. Rams executive vice president Kevin Demoff agreed that Saffold was likely to “peek behind the curtain” now that free agency is right around the corner, but said he plans to keep trying to bring Saffold back.
“My hope is that’s not case. But Rodger has good representatives. They do a good job. We have a good relationship with them. If there’s a deal that comes together, I know we’ll figure it out,” Demoff said. “If there’s not, then he’ll go to free agency and by no means is that the end of this conversation. Hopefully, once it’s there we’ll have an opportunity to figure it out and keep him as a Ram.”
Thomas writes that “it’s clear” the Rams would like to re-sign Saffold and play him at guard, something that furthers the likelihood that he’ll hit the open market. Guards make less than tackles and Saffold has played both tackle spots during his career, which makes it easy to understand why he’d like to sell himself at that position before making any final decisions.
