Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE
Hurricane Sandy has officially made its impact on the NFL season, but it isn’t an on-field change. The tropical cyclone has forced the league to push back the trade deadline to Thursday from the previous date of Tuesday due to power outages along the East coast. This amendment will provide the St. Louis Rams with more precious hours to attempt to complete a deal involving running back Steven Jackson.
Many believe that money is the primary component preventing a deal from getting done currently as Jackson’s current contract has an option to expire following 2012 and still has approximately $3 million remaining from his salary for this season.
One team that is desperate for rushing help is the Green Bay Packers. While they have still been able to get victories, the Packers’ running game has been stuck in the mud since the injury to Cedric Benson. He is still at least a month away from being able to suit up and some feel the team could pursue Jackson to fill that role.
Green Bay General Manager Ted Thompson has been a fond of Jackson for many years and attempted to acquire him before via trade. He is historically reluctant to part with draft choices, but his affinity for Jackson could lead to some out of character behavior. With only Alex Green and James Starks in the Packers’ backfield for at least the next month, perhaps the pressure will push Thompson to finally make the move and land Jackson.
Draft choices are likely the desired compensation of the Rams as the new regime of Head Coach Jeff Fisher and Les Snead continue to rebuild this franchise. A trade may still be a long shot, but one thing is certain; without this intervention from nature a deal likely would have had no chance to be completed. The Rams and Packers should both be thankful that they now have an extra 48 hours to talk about a trade.
Follow Anthony Blake on Twitter @AnthonyMBlake or on Facebook at Anthony Mizarkus Blake
