Steven Jackson trade rumors fizzle at deadline; St. Louis Rams stick with star

It's hard to say what did it, exactly, but some combination of the NFL Trade Deadline's inevitable anticlimax, his diminishing value, and the St. Louis Rams' desire to hang on to their only high-profile veteran came together, on Thursday, to render a few weeks' worth of Steven Jackson trade rumors moot. The Rams—not the Dallas Cowboys, not the Arizona Cardinals, not any other team ostensibly in desperate need of a veteran running back with a little something left in the tank—will be Jackson's home for the rest of the 2012 season.

Which doesn't end our Steven Jackson speculation so much as complicate it. What does this mean for Jackson and the Rams next year, almost exactly a month after they agreed to void his contract? Since then, the Rams have seemed even more eager than usual to fit rookie Daryl Richardson into the offense, and even nearly invisible ex-running-back-of-the-future Isaiah Pead appeared in last week's loss to the New England Patriots.

Everything seemed to point to Steven Jackson being out of town at the trade deadline. Now that he isn't, we have to wonder about what the next half-season will look like with him in town.