Issac Bruce Cut

[TN TITAN Fan In STL]

For years the face the of the Rams franchise in St. Louis, wide receiver Isaac Bruce was released by the club on Thursday, according to league sources.

With a $2 million roster bonus due on Friday, Bruce apparently declined to accept a pay cut proposed by the club, leading to his release. Bruce, 35, was due $5 million overall — $3 million in the form of base salary for ’08, plus the $2 million roster bonus.

The team’s final offer to Bruce apparently was $3 million — in other words, the base salary minus the roster bonus.

Bruce ended the 2007 season third on the NFL’s career list for receiving yards (14,070), trailing only Jerry Rice (22,895) and Tim Brown (14,934). Bruce also finished the season with 942 catches, ranking sixth on the NFL’s all-time list. The four-time Pro Bowler, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass in the Rams’ Super Bowl XXXIV victory over Tennessee, was a second-round draft choice the club in 1994. He has been with the team ever since, save for four days in March of 2006 when he was released and then re-signed by the Rams.

Rams officials also confirmed Thursday that backup quarterback Gus Frerotte has been released.

As the final hours ticked away before the start of the free agency period Friday, the Rams weren’t expected to extend tender offers to restricted free agents Jerome Carter and Trevor Johnson. Meanwhile, rumors circulated at Rams Park that defensive end James Hall might join Frerotte as a cap casualty to help the team free up salary cap room for the free agency period.

The release of Frerotte creates $1.9 million in additional cap room; he was scheduled to make $1.4 million in base salary plus a roster bonus of $500,000 in 2008. It also frees the Rams and new offensive coordinator Al Saunders to pursue free-agent quarterback Todd Collins of the Washington Redskins.

Collins, 36, has been with Saunders for the past seven seasons, first in Kansas City and then Washington. Collins was a late-season sensation in place of the injured Jason Campbell in ’07, posting a 106.4 passer rating and completing 63.7 percent of his passes to lead the Redskins to a playoff berth.

Bruce’s release saves the team $5 million. If Hall is released it would save the Rams $3.5 million in cap money, representing Hall’s scheduled $3 million roster base salary in ‘08 plus a $500,000 roster bonus.

Johnson, a defensive end, and Carter, a safety become the equivalent of unrestricted free agents once it becomes official that the team has not made one-year tender offers.

[seth25]

good move.Now they just need to get rid of Linnehan (sp?)

Hey I'm in STL and a Titans fan too. Thought I was alone around here........

[ZoomVT]

i can see him going to jax or someone with WR depth needed...

[seth25]

It looks like he's going to SF with Martz.

[Bobtheicon]

Like to see him go to the Pats.

[QuadzillaXXX]

There's the tough side of the business end of sports. You have a class guy who plays his entire career there then he gets cut lol.
Good luck to him wherever he ends up.

[BigdaddyQH]

He signed with the 49ers and his old friend Martz. Not a real good signing. He is well past his prime, and the 49ers need to rebuild. He would have been a better fit on a solid team that needs a talented #3 WR.