In any other year, the holdout of Rams running back Steven Jackson would be a huge story.  But since this is the “Summer of Favre,” Jackson is getting hardly any attention.

But the story isn’t going away, because Jackson is still a holdout.  Though we are firm believers (generally) in guys honoring their contracts, we can understand why Jackson would take a stand.  Just like Larry Johnson last season in Kansas City, Jackson enters the fifth year of a contract based on a low first-round slot.  Neither man got big money as rookies, and both were faced with having to sprint to the finish line in season five in order to have a shot at free agency.

Even then, the franchise tag would have potentially required another year of high-end Haynesworth-style performance — and the risk of injury that it entails — before getting a chance to cash in.

So Jackson wants his money now.  And we don’t blame him.

The question the Rams need to ask themselves is whether they think Jackson will still have the same fire once he gets paid.  For some running backs, that eight-figure signing bonus operates like reverse Viagra.  (Charles Haley should have taken some of that, apparently.)

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, there have been no negotiations since July 25.  And as the Post-Dispatch points out, today is the day on which Jackson must report, or else he’ll lose a year of credit toward free agency.  If there’s an uncapped year in March 2010, Jackson will be short of the six years of service necessary to be an unrestricted free agent.

As we’ve previously explained, however, it doesn’t matter, as long as Jackson shows up by Week Ten.  Under that scenario, he’d get credit for the present contract year, and he’d become an unrestricted free agent in March 2009 based on his existing four years of credit toward free agency.  If the Rams keep his rights via the franchise tag, Jackson would still be entitled to 110 percent of the 2009 franchise tender for his position if the Rams apply the restricted free agency tender to him in 2010.