There are half a million reasons why new defensive tackle Nick Fairley should be in shape for the Rams entering training camp.

The most interesting thing in the one-year, $5 million contract signed by Fairley last week was a $500,000 workout bonus. That’s a monster amount.

Under the current regime, Rams contracts rarely include workout bonuses, which are tied to participation by a player in the team’s official offseason conditioning program. Usually it takes about 80 percent participation to earn such a bonus.

The $500,000 amount for Fairley is believed to be the largest offseason workout bonus paid to a Rams player since the franchise moved to St. Louis in 1995. This year, the Rams’ offseason conditioning program begins April 20.

via Jim Thomas of The St. Louis Dispatch