The St. Louis Rams, like all teams, have been barred by the NFL lockout from free agency as we know it. For the most part that's just led to a lot of spurious NFL rumors, but for the Rams it's done something very particular to their roster—it's kept them from resigning veteran wide receiver Mark Clayton, who looked like a sure thing immediately after the NFL season. Clayton spoke with a Tulsa paper about the issue, where he was catching balls from Heisman-winner... Jason White. 

Apparently he'd hoped to work out an extension with the Rams after the season, but the lockout had other plans; now he's spent the rest of the offseason unemployed, while in the meantime the Rams have hired a new offensive coordinator and drafted three rookie pass-catchers of their own. Meanwhile, Donnie Avery, who he was acquired to replace, is working his way back from his own knee injury.

Clayton's less of a sure thing than he was before the season ended, but if the Rams look for a veteran receiver once they're allowed to, he's still one of the easiest bets.