http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2951390
By Chris Mortensen
ESPN
St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, who skipped a mandatory meeting Thursday when the team reported to training camp, has agreed in principle to a six-year, $62.5 million contract that secures his future in St. Louis beyond 2007.
Bulger's new deal includes $26.5 million in guaranteed money, sources said. He participated in the team's first on-field practice Friday morning after missing Thursday's meeting meeting when the Rams reported to camp.
Bulger had recently suggested he could stage a training camp holdout only to soften the threat, but when he missed the meeting Thursday it raised the specter of a looming camp absence even though Rams coach Scott Linehan described it as "excused ... for personal reasons."
Bulger had one year remaining on a four-year, $19.1 million contract. His agent, Tom Condon, was finalizing contract language on the new deal this morning with Rams general manager Jay Zygmunt.
With a $10.25 million average salary, Bulger's new contract would place him in elite company, just behind Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, Michael Vick, Tom Brady and Brett Favre as quarterbacks who make $10 million or more on average per year.
Chris Mortensen covers the NFL for ESPN.