Unrestricted free agent Ricky Proehl, one of the NFL's premier slot receivers, is returning to the St. Louis Rams for another season.

	Proehl

After exploring various options, and being heavily courted by the New York Giants, the 12-year veteran agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract worth $775,000. The contract includes a signing bonus of $25,000 and a base salary of $750,000. It permits the Rams to take advantage of the new rule which provides a cap break for teams who sign older veterans to minimum salary contracts.

Under the rule, Proehl, 34, will count just $450,000 against the Rams' 2002 salary cap.

Despite starting just eight games over the past three seasons, Proehl is an integral part of a potent St. Louis passing attack, one that takes full advantage of his skills working as the No. 3 wideout from the slot position. Proehl is a clever and precise route runner with superior hands, a prototype possession receiver even in his earliest seasons in the league.

He typically converts 60-70 percent of his catches into first downs and is particularly effective in the "red zone." The former Wake Forest star, who has played with four teams during his career, clearly has found a niche in the Mike Martz offense.

St. Louis, which lost Az-Zahir Hakim to Detroit in free agency, might still select a wide receiver in the draft later this month. But retaining Proehl gives Martz and his staff a proven commodity and reduces the urgency of having to find another wide receiver.

In 2001, Proehl caught 40 passes for 563 yards and five touchdowns. He also scored the tying touchdown in the late stages of Super Bowl XXXVI with a superior individual effort, but then the New England Patriots subsequently drove to the game-winning field goal.

Proehl began his career with the Arizona Cardinals as a third-round choice in the 1990 draft. He played five seasons in Arizona before he was traded to Seattle in 1995. He signed with Chicago as a free agent in 1997 and with the Rams in 1998.

He has appeared in 178 games and started 101 of them in his career, and has 537 receptions for 7,055 yards and 42 touchdowns.

In what was a bookkeeping maneuver aimed at saving $200,000 on the salary cap, Rams released starting defensive tackle Jeff Zgonina on Monday and then re-signed him on Tuesday.

Zgonina will earn $650,000 but count just $450,000 against the St. Louis cap.

St. Louis has solid depth at defensive tackle, and that will be enhanced with the rehabilitation of first-round pick Damione Lewis, who missed most of his 2002 rookie campaign. But Zgonina is a player the Rams like, is highly regarded by defensive line coach Bill Kollar, and started a career best 13 games in 2001.

The journeyman Zgonina, who has played with five teams in nine seasons, posted 66 tackles and two fumble recoveries last season. For his career, he has played in 93 games and started in 24 of them, and has 144 tackles, 9 ½ sacks and five fumble recoveries.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.