ESPN- Grant Wistrom's stay with the team could end

[bubba9497]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1749150

ST. LOUIS -- Adam Timmerman's five-year contract with the St. Louis Rams, finalized on Tuesday, could mean the end of defensive end Grant Wistrom's stay with the team.

Those two were the Rams' top free agents, and the team conceivably could retain both with about $4.5 million remaining under the salary cap. But Wistrom, the team's first-round pick in 1998, is believed to be leaning to signing with the Kansas City Chiefs and reuniting with coach Dick Vermeil.

Also Tuesday, the Rams met with former Michigan quarterback Drew Henson, although he did not work out. Henson is scheduled to visit the Cleveland Browns' training facility Wednesday.

Henson, 24, was drafted in the sixth round last year by the Houston Texans, who are trying to work out a trade before next month's draft. If no deal is done by the April 24 draft, Henson can be selected by any team.

Timmerman and the Rams came to an agreement two days before he was to have become an unrestricted free agent. He also signed a five-year free agent deal with the Rams in 1999 after leaving the Packers, and had not been anxious to test the market.

But until this week, he'd been concerned about the lack of interest from the team. So he told his agent, Mark Bartelstein, to try to push things along.

"I told Mark, I really want to get the thing done so it doesn't come down to free agency, taking trips and doing all that stuff," said Timmerman, a Cherokee, Iowa native who played at South Dakota State University. "We were close and we kind of met in the middle and it worked out great."

The Rams are happy to have him back.

"I think everybody knows or can appreciate how important Adam has been in the last five years to us offensively," coach Mike Martz said. "It's just a great moment for all of us."

It's a great moment for Timmerman's wife, Jana, too. The deal means she can go ahead with ordering new kitchen countertops instead of pondering a move.

"It's unbelievable," Jana Timmerman said. "We're on our third contract, and with two teams."

Adam Timmerman, 32, has played nine NFL seasons and gone to two Pro Bowls. He has been a durable presence on the line, starting all 16 regular-season games in four of his five seasons in St. Louis.

During that time, the Rams feel he's gotten better.

"I think he played at a Pro Bowl level and didn't go to the Pro Bowl," offensive line coach John Matsko said. "He pulled extremely well -- he's got to be one of the top pullers in the league -- and he's a phenomenal pass protector."

Although terms were not disclosed, Timmerman said the contract was worth more than $2 million a year. That's considerably less than his last deal with the Rams for $18 million over five seasons.

"We wanted to be here so bad we didn't want it to come down free agency," Timmerman said. "Money was never a huge issue for us, just the effort that was made on the part of the Rams.

"We wanted to make sure the Rams knew we wanted to be here, first and foremost, and if there was any chance of us getting that done we were going to do what we could."

[Jimbo]

I guess Vermeil FINALLY decided he needed a defense to win in KC