MAJOR RAMS-HAWKS TRADE IN THE WORKS?
Conventional wisdom in the NFL is that teams don't make trades within the same division.
Then again, when the two teams involved each have disgruntled franchise players, conventional wisdom won't get either of them under contract.
A league source tells us that the Rams and the Seahawks are talking seriously about swapping their respective unsigned franchise players, left tackles Orlando Pace and Walter Jones. The Rams would send Pace to the Pacific Northwest and the Seahawks would send Jones. Also included in the deal would be cornerback Shawn Springs, who'd make the move from Seattle to St. Louis.
Springs and Jones have the same agent, Roosevelt Barnes, and the Seattle Times wrote on July 31 that Barnes is attempting to get Jones and Springs signed as a package deal.
Springs is set to become a free agent after the 2003 season. From a cap standpoint, then, the Seahawks won't experience any bonus acceleration if they trade him. The only real cap question is whether the Rams have enough cap room for Springs' 2003 salary. Since both teams already are holding $5.73 million each in cap room for Jones and Pace, the sign-and-swap wouldn't create any cap issues.
The possibility of adding Springs to the mix in St. Louis makes the recent move of Aeneas Williams from corner to free safety more understandable. Without Springs, the Rams would be relying upon unproven Jerametrius Butler at starting left corner.
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Conventional wisdom in the NFL is that teams don't make trades within the same division.
Then again, when the two teams involved each have disgruntled franchise players, conventional wisdom won't get either of them under contract.
A league source tells us that the Rams and the Seahawks are talking seriously about swapping their respective unsigned franchise players, left tackles Orlando Pace and Walter Jones. The Rams would send Pace to the Pacific Northwest and the Seahawks would send Jones. Also included in the deal would be cornerback Shawn Springs, who'd make the move from Seattle to St. Louis.
Springs and Jones have the same agent, Roosevelt Barnes, and the Seattle Times wrote on July 31 that Barnes is attempting to get Jones and Springs signed as a package deal.
Springs is set to become a free agent after the 2003 season. From a cap standpoint, then, the Seahawks won't experience any bonus acceleration if they trade him. The only real cap question is whether the Rams have enough cap room for Springs' 2003 salary. Since both teams already are holding $5.73 million each in cap room for Jones and Pace, the sign-and-swap wouldn't create any cap issues.
The possibility of adding Springs to the mix in St. Louis makes the recent move of Aeneas Williams from corner to free safety more understandable. Without Springs, the Rams would be relying upon unproven Jerametrius Butler at starting left corner.
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