Pace fired his agent before signing offer

ST. LOUIS -- Three-time All-Pro left tackle Orlando Pace fired his agent three days before signing a one-year, $7.02 million contract this month, ending his third holdout in eight seasons with the St. Louis Rams, the NFL Players Association said Wednesday.

The NFLPA confirmed the five-time Pro Bowl selection filed termination papers against agent Carl Poston on Sept. 2, then signed the Rams tender offer as the team's franchise player.

Typically, a player must wait at least five days before hiring a new agent. The NFLPA said Pace has filed no paperwork showing he has hired any other agent.

Pace, who started in the Rams' 17-10 win over Arizona in Sunday's opener, missed most of training camp last year and all of it this season in retaliation for being designated with the franchise tag, insisting that skipping workouts was his only option.

The first overall pick of the 1997 draft also was a holdout his rookie season.

Pace was a no-show during the team's open locker room period on Wednesday. Poston did not return messages at his office.

The Rams placed the franchise tag on Pace last year after a Poston proposal sought a signing bonus of nearly $24 million and a potential overall payout of nearly $85 million over seven years. Both figures were about twice what the Rams were prepared to pay.