Holdout update

While The Waffle King (what Mr. Favre will be referred as in this and subsequent posts) continues to dominate the headlines, a few other NFL teams are currently dealing with a few camp distractions of their own, primarily in the form of player holdouts. The most significant one is taking place in St. Louis, where Rams running back Steven Jackson's sit-out of training camp reached its fourth day on Tuesday. The fourth-year pro is campaigning for a substantial upgrade of the $1.71 million salary he is slated to receive in the final year of his rookie deal.

Jackson's ploy is similar to the one used by Chicago Bears receiver/return man Devin Hester, who staged a two-day protest that resulted in a four-year, $30 million extension. Interestingly, Jackson and Hester are both represented by agent Eugene Parker.

Rams fans shouldn't sweat this one, as all indications are that there's no acrimony between player and management and the team appears willing to negotiate a long-term agreement. At worst, Jackson will probably play out his final year and hit unrestricted free agency in 2009, where the 25-year-old will surely strike gold on the open market.

The Favre soap opera has overshadowed another brewing controversy in Titletown -- the absence of Ryan Grant from Packers camp. The second-year running back, who's due to make just $370,000 this season, is also seeking a multi-year deal after his breakthrough 2007 campaign. This impasse has the potential to get downright nasty, as Grant and his representative were reportedly quite miffed at Green Bay's proposed signing bonus that apparently was sizeably less than the one the team recently doled out to linebacker Brady Poppinga, a player who isn't even guaranteed a starting job in 2008.

As if Packers GM Ted Thompson doesn't have enough headaches right now, considering the Waffle King's situation and a looming felony drug case hanging over defensive tackle Johnny Jolly's head.

Grant's clearly deserving of a raise after rushing for more than 900 yards over the final 10 regular-season games last year, but he also doesn't hold a whole lot of leverage. He's not eligible for free agency for another two years, and word out of Green Bay is that Brandon Jackson, the Pack's second-round draft pick last year and a more physically gifted player than Grant, has been extremely impressive in the early stages of camp.

The other notable veteran holdout resides in Philadelphia, where All-Pro guard Shawn Andrews remains an mysterious MIA. Andrews' issues don't seem to be financially related -- he signed a seven-year, $40 million extension in 2006 -- but rather some sort of unexplained personal matter. Speculation here is the guy known as "The Big Kid" will get a clear head once the grueling two-a-days reach a close, a la Michael Strahan.

Eagles head coach/vice president Andy Reid is also having to deal with a couple of unhappy campers in running back Brian Westbrook (contract) and cornerback Lito Sheppard (playing time), although both players reported on time.

A trio of top 10 overall choices -- Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (#7), Jaguars defensive end Derrick Harvey (#8) and Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers (#9) -- also remain unsigned in the opening week of camps. All three are viewed by their respective organizations as potential Week 1 starters.

UPDATE: The Saints agreed to terms with Ellis on a five-year contract on Tuesday night. I would expect both Harvey and Rivers to fall in line relatively soon.