 |
| |
|
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Holdover Holt WR agrees to 7-year extension; financial terms undisclosedPosted: Friday July 18, 2003 1:47 PMUpdated: Friday July 18, 2003 7:47 PM ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The St. Louis Rams solved one offseason dilemma Friday by signing wide receiver Torry Holt to a seven-year contract. Now, attention turns to another star unhappy with his contract -- offensive tackle Orlando Pace. The Rams also announced they have signed the first of their two fourth-round picks in the 2003 draft, wide receiver Shaun McDonald. Holt, 27, was about to enter the final season of a five-year, $10 million contract he signed after being drafted out of North Carolina State in 1999. The new contract is effective beginning this season. "I'm ready to get back to work," Holt said. "I've been blessed with a lot of energy. I love the game. I love what I do." Head coach Mike Martz called the signing one of his happiest days as coach. "He's just going to get better," Martz said. "It's exciting to think about all the things that can happen with him offensively." Pace is threatening to hold out when the team opens training camp next week in Macomb, Ill. He is upset over being named the Rams' franchise player and also wants a contract extension. "He's got to do what he has to do," Martz said. "You just coach the guys in camp." Pace skipped a minicamp in the spring. Holt, a team captain, showed up despite the negotiations that were stalled at the time. Holt had his third straight 1,000-yard receiving season in 2002, leading the team with 91 catches for 1,302 yards. But his four touchdown receptions and his 14.3 yards-per-catch were career lows as the Rams, expected to contend for the Super Bowl, went 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1998. Holt is seventh in Rams history in receptions with 306 and receiving yards with 5,088. He was named to the Pro Bowl following the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
McDonald was the 106th overall pick. He caught 156 passes for
2,867 yards and 24 touchdowns at Arizona State.
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
