ST. LOUIS (AP) -St. Louis Rams' first-round draft pick Adam Carriker was expected to be on the practice field Friday, hours after agreeing to a five-year contract.
Terms were not disclosed. Rams spokesman Rick Smith said the deal was reached early Friday, before the first workout of training camp.
Also expected at practice was quarterback Marc Bulger, who was a no-show for a mandatory team meeting Thursday, when players were to report. Bulger is signed through next season but is seeking a new contract and had threatened to hold out.
Smith said the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback arrived at camp early Friday. He said Bulger's agent and the Rams continue to discuss a contract extension.
Carriker played defensive end at Nebraska, where he was the Big 12 defensive lineman of the year as a senior, leading the Cornhuskers with seven sacks. He is expected to move to defensive tackle for the Rams, who have struggled in recent years at that position.
The Rams said they like Carriker's energy and compare him to another high-motor Nebraska product, Grant Wistrom, who starred on the St. Louis teams that won the Super Bowl in 2000 and went to another one in 2002.
Prior to selecting Carriker with the 13th overall pick in April, St. Louis also chose defensive tackles Ryan Pickett and Damione Lewis with first-round picks in 2001 and Jimmy Kennedy with a first-round pick in 2003. Kennedy was traded to Denver earlier this year for a sixth-round draft pick, and all three are no longer with the Rams.
The signing of Carriker means that all of the Rams' draft picks are under contract as the team begins its second season under coach Scott Linehan. St. Louis was 8-8 in 2006.
Bulger is in the final year of a four-year, $19.1 million contract, putting him somewhere in the middle of the NFL salary for his position. The team said signing him to a new deal is a priority and has been formulating an offer that could make him the highest-paid player in franchise history.
Last year he threw for 4,301 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions, a 62.9 percent completion rate and ranked fourth in the NFL in passer rating.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
