The Los Angeles Rams honored Steven Jackson on Monday during Legends Reunion Day before their training camp practice. Although his final NFL snap came in the 2016 AFC Championship Game with New England, Jackson signed a one-day contract with the team to retire officially as a Ram.
The opportunity to sport the number 39 in the Rams’ blue and gold in 2019 is something Jackson never envisioned that he would be able to do, so he took full advantage of his last official day as a Ram.
At Rams’ practice on Monday, SJ turned back the clock, taking one final handoff from quarterback Jared Goff.
One last time. @sj39's still got it. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6CE20nFGyi
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) July 30, 2019
“It feels good. It’s something that I didn’t plan, didn’t think would happen,” Jackson said. “I kind of moved on with life and to have an organization ask me to come back and for us to finish it the right way, put a nice bow on top of it, I was humbled by it.”
Jackson played nine of his 12 NFL seasons with the Rams. Throughout Jackson’s nine years with the then-St. Louis Rams, he represented a bright spot for a struggling organization.
SJ retires as the Rams all-time leading rusher with 10,138 yards, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark in every season in St. Louis except for his rookie season. Jackson also scored 64 touchdowns, had 407 receptions, and he accumulated over 3,000 receiving yards with the Rams. For his entire career, Jackson ranks 18th all-time in NFL history with a total of 11,438 rushing yards.
“You go on, you go and represent another city and another team… Just know you’re always welcome back, man. That’s what we’re built on around here.”
Words of wisdom from @sj39. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/dE1XUKMcod
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) July 30, 2019
One of just 21 players to rush for over 11,000 yards, Jackson is not just an all-time Rams great, he is an all-time NFL great. After practice, the three-time pro bowler shared some words of wisdom with the team.
“Y’all compete. You go on, you go and represent another city and another team…just know you’re always welcome back, man. That’s what we’re built on around here. That’s why I played the way I played even when we were terrible because I knew eventually we would get back on track,” Jackson said.