Rams sign veteran safety Atogwe to multiyear deal

ST. LOUIS -- Oshiomogho Atogwe wasn't on the market for long.

Three weeks after becoming an unrestricted free agent, the veteran safety went back to his old team, the St. Louis Rams, agreeing on a multiyear deal announced Wednesday.

Terms were not disclosed, but Atogwe said it was a five-year contract.

"This is where my work is still to be done," Atogwe said in a conference call with reporters. "My purpose of being in St. Louis was not completed, and coming back and being with my teammates meant a lot to me."

Atogwe, who turned 29 on Wednesday, has started 60 of 72 career games. He has developed a reputation for ball-hawking skills, with 19 career interceptions and 19 forced fumbles.

He was second on the team with 82 tackles despite missing the final four games with a shoulder injury last season. He also had one sack, two interceptions, three passes defended, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He had eight interceptions in 2007 and five in 2008.

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, trying to rebuild a team that was an NFL-worst 1-15 in 2009, is glad to have back Atogwe.

"We were always hopeful for this result," Spagnuolo said. "We look forward to having his leadership, character and talent back on our defense."

Atogwe hit the market after failing to reach a multiyear contract and the Rams declined to sign him to a one-year tender for $6.98 million, Atogwe's salary for last year plus 10 percent.

But in an uncapped year, with uncertainty about the future labor situation in the NFL, offers didn't pour in.

Atogwe said he spoke casually with other teams. But the possibility of a lockout in 2011 appeared to be a stumbling point for him and other players, he said.

"I believe that shaped a lot of negotiations, a lot of interest in this 2010 free agency period," Atogwe said. "It's real, and I believe a lot of players now who are looking to get extensions, looking to do long-term deals, are actually feeling the brunt, feeling the impact of that coming."

Atogwe did not participate in the team's offseason conditioning program and has not attended organized team activities in May and June. He said he is healthy but still must be cleared by team doctors before participating in training camp that begins in about a month.

Atogwe, a native of Windsor, Ontario, played in college at Stanford and was chosen by the Rams in the third round, 66th overall, in the 2005 draft.