Steven Jackson Steven Rashad Jackson ( born July 22 , 1983 ) is an American football running back for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for Oregon State University , and was drafted by the St . Louis Rams 24th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft . Jackson holds the Rams franchise record for rushing yards . Early years . Jackson was born in Las Vegas , Nevada and was a running back for Eldorado High School . He was named the Sunrise Regional MVP and rushed for 6 , 396 yards and 81 touchdowns for the Sundevils . Jackson ' s Eldorado squad lost in the state final his senior year to McQueen High School ( Reno , Nevada ) . Jackson ' s subsequent success has been credited with prompting college football programs to take more interest in players in the Las Vegas area . This success also led to Jackson ' s induction into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 . College career . Jackson attended Oregon State University , where he played for the Oregon State Beavers football team for three seasons . In 36 games , he carried 743 times for 3 , 625 yards for a 4 . 9 - yard average and 39 touchdowns while adding 680 yards and 6 touchdowns on 66 catches and 240 yards with a touchdown on 7 kickoff returns . His 4 , 545 all - purpose yards rank second in school history , while he ranks third on the school ’ s all - time scoring list with 276 points . As a junior he ranked tenth in the nation in rushing , ninth in all - purpose yardage , and fourth in scoring ; he carried the ball 350 times for 1 , 545 yards and 19 touchdowns , adding 44 receptions for 470 yards and 3 touchdowns . His 2 , 015 all - purpose yards set a school record . As a sophomore Jackson led the Pac - 10 Conference in rushing and finished the season eighth nationally with 1 , 690 yards , an average of 130 yards per game . Professional career . 2004 NFL Draft . Jackson was overlooked by several teams in 2004 , most likely due to a knee injury suffered during his last year at Oregon State - an injury that kept him from participating in drills at the 2004 NFL Combine . Jackson had surgery on the knee after the college season , but required additional clean - up surgery after his rookie year to ensure its complete rehabilitation . In an interview with CBS Sports ' Pete Prisco on how the knee injury had affected his play , Jackson said " I never felt right . Now it does . " St . Louis Rams . Jackson was drafted 24th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the St . Louis Rams . The Rams swapped picks with the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals to get Jackson . Denver traded Deltha O ' Neal to Cincinnati for their first round pick . Then , St . Louis traded up to Cincinnati ' s selection to grab Jackson while the Bengals chose Chris Perry to replace the departed Corey Dillon , who was traded to the New England Patriots . On July 30 , 2004 , Jackson signed a 5 - year , $ 7 million deal with the Rams , which included a $ 2 . 05 million signing bonus . In his 2004 rookie season , he was a backup under Marshall Faulk . Despite the limited playing time , he rushed 134 times for 673 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns , and had 19 receptions for 189 yards . With Faulk aging , Jackson was named the Rams ' starting running back for the 2005 season . Jackson had 1 , 046 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns on 254 attempts , and caught 43 passes for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns . After the dismissal of head coach Mike Martz , 2006 became Jackson ' s breakout season . With Scott Linehan as the new head coach , the Rams had a more balanced offensive attack . Jackson ran 346 times for 1 , 528 yards and 13 touchdowns and led all running backs when he caught 90 passes for 806 yards , and adding 3 touchdowns . He also led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage with 2 , 334 . For his efforts , Jackson was named to his first Pro Bowl and received one vote for the 2006 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award . He was also named the Rams MVP of 2006 . During the Rams ' dismal 2007 season , Jackson lashed out at fans and expressed distaste with the music played in the Edward Jones Dome . After the season , with one year left on his rookie contract , Jackson believed he was underpaid and held out of training camp . On August 21 , 2008 , Jackson officially ended his holdout by signing a six - year contract worth a maximum of $ 49 . 3 million , including a $ 11 . 4 million signing bonus and $ 21 million guaranteed . Because the final two years of the deal ( the 2012 & 2013 seasons ) can be voided based on Jackson ' s performance , it could become a three - year extension worth $ 29 . 3 million instead . Either way , signing the contract made him the highest - paid running back in the NFL . On October 24 , 2010 , Jackson surpassed Eric Dickerson as the Rams ' all - time leading rusher , with a 110 - yard effort against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Then on November 21 , 2010 , he recorded his 10 , 000th career yard from scrimmage on a first quarter run against the Atlanta Falcons . Jackson rushed for 1 , 145 yards during the 2011 Regular Season , marking the seventh consecutive season he has surpassed 1 , 000 yards . On December 16th , 2012 , against the Minnesota Vikings , Jackson became the 27th running back in NFL history to rush for over 10 , 000 yards . On December 30th , 2012 , at the Seattle Seahawks , he became only the 6th running back in league history to compile 8 consecutive 1000 - yard rushing seasons . Jackson ended the 2012 season with 1 , 042 yards rushing and 4 Touchdowns , helping St . Louis to a 7 - 8 - 1 record . In February 2013 , the Rams allowed Jackson to void the final year of his six - year contract signed in 2007 , even though he had not met the requirements to do so , making him a free agent following the end of the season . Atlanta Falcons . On March 14 , 2013 , Jackson signed a three - year contract with the Atlanta Falcons .