Rypien Jumps From Tee To Green, Rams Interrupted While Golfing By Offer From St. Louis, Quarterback Signs One-Year Deal Worth Close To $1 Million

Agent Ken Staninger reached Mark Rypien by phone at The Creek at Qualchan golf course Thursday afternoon.

Contract terms with the St. Louis Rams weren’t completely ironed out at the time, but the two sides were close enough that the Rams wanted Rypien to fly to Los Angeles to be on hand for the start of Friday’s mini-camp.

Did Rypien finish his round of golf?

“Oh hell, yes, he wouldn’t have gone if they wouldn’t let him finish,” Staninger said.

While it may not have been worth missing a hole or two, the agreement signed Friday morning put an end to four months of uncertainty for Rypien, who was waived by the Cleveland Browns after last season.

The deal - a one-year contract that Staninger said was very similar to the package with Cleveland that paid Rypien $917,000 last year - was finalized in time for the Washington State and Shadle Park High product to work out with his new team.

The Rams’ mini-camps will take place in Los Angeles as the team’s move to St. Louis is not expected to be completed until shortly before the mid-July start of training camp.

Rypien, the MVP of Super Bowl XXVI for the Washington Redskins, will join Chris Miller, Tommy Maddox and Jamie Martin as quarterbacks on the Rams’ roster.

Miller, last year’s starter, threw 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, compiling a 73.6 quarterback rating.

The Rams, under new coach Rich Brooks, have indicated to Staninger that the starting job is open.

Miller played for Brooks at Oregon, while Rypien had his biggest day as a Cougar (403 yards passing) against the Ducks in 1985.

Employment possibilities narrowed to St. Louis and Houston in the past week. Houston offensive coordinator Jerry Rhome had coached Rypien in his early years with the Washington Redskins, providing a strong connection there.

But a hangup with Houston arose when the Oilers drafted Steve McNair with the third pick in the draft.

“Mark felt that with McNair drafted so early, he thought that maybe, politically, it wouldn’t be the best situation.”

The replacement of coach Chuck Knox with the more pass-oriented Brooks will give Rams quarterbacks something to do aside from hand off to bullish back Jerome Bettis.

“Mark has always respected Rich Brooks and vice versa,” Staninger said from his Missoula office. “When they visited, it was clear they were real comfortable with each other.”

Both Miller and Rypien (age 32) are entering their ninth NFL season.

After seven seasons with the Redskins, Rypien served mostly in reserve for Browns starter Vinny Testaverde last year. Cleveland won two of the three games in which Rypien started - defeating New England at home and Philadelphia on the road.

He completed 59 of 127 passes for 694 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions. In starting assignments, Rypien has compiled a 47-28 regular-season record and is 5-2 as a starter in playoff games. He played in two Pro Bowls, following the 1989 and 1991 seasons.

His contract with Cleveland, though, called for a salary boost up to $2 million this year. The Browns clearly felt that was steep for a backup quarterback, regardless of his talents.

Miller was scheduled to make $3 million this year, but the Rams recently restructured his contract into the $1.5 to $2 million range.

Staninger said the excitement of the Rams’ move to St. Louis was not lost on Rypien.

The Rams will be playing in a new $260 million stadium. Prior to sales of season tickets, St. Louis fans were asked to purchase “personal seat licenses,” for the rights to buy season tickets. Sales exceeded 74,000.

“This is exciting for him because it’s a place he wanted to go and he got a fair deal with them,” Staninger said.