Jackson back in St. Louis

St. Louis Rams Running Back Steven Jackson has agreed terms on a monster new deal - one that takes him straight to the top of the salary league.

ESPN.com's John Clayton reports that the mega-deal is two tiered, and essentialy makes for a win-win situation no matter what happens to Jackson. Either he hits the performance triggers on a $49.3m 5 year deal, or the Rams cut short the deal after a 3 year $29m deal with $21m guaranteed. If Jackson were to hit Free Agency in 2011, he would be in position to land a rare 'third contract'.

Ironically, Jackson's drafting in the first round, is a typical example of how a Running Back can suffer by being tied to a long term, undervalued rookie deal. Jackson signed a contract worth just $7m as a Rookie in 2004, and was entering the final year of that deal. Once a Rusher falls past the top 10, the money they receive is often out of synch with their role on the field. A Running Back is unlikely to get a decent payday after the age of 28, and so most RB's are well aware that to make the big bucks, they need a big payday at the end of their rookie deal.

Should help pay for those colonics.