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NFL Rumors 2012: Steven Jackson Trade Talk Nonsensical For St. Louis Rams

I don't doubt that the St. Louis Rams are thinking about trading Steven Jackson—Turf Show Times reported on the rumor here—but I am deeply skeptical of anybody who tries to suggest that the kind of trade they'd be able to make makes any sense for the team, especially if it leads to Trent Richardson being selected in the 2012 NFL Draft. Here's a shorthand version: The Rams would trade Steven Jackson, who ran for 1145 yards in 15 starts last year, for a middle-of-the-pack draft pick; they would then draft Trent Richardson, in the hopes that he'd run for 1145 yards in 15 starts next year; they would then, somehow, win more games than they did last season.

Replacing the running back on this team should be their very last priority—and that would be true no matter how old Jackson was. If he wants a new contract I suppose the calculus changes, but overpaying Jackson for a year or two might be worth having the No. 6 pick in this year's draft free to select someone who isn't presently redundant and increasingly obsolete.