Three days after the Rams released left tackle Orlando Pace, wide receiver Torry Holt met the same fate as the Rams saved $14 million of salary-cap space. Holt's release came four days before he was due a $1.25 million roster bonus.

The only player remaining on the roster from the team's 1999 Super Bowl season is defensive end Leonard Little.

Said owner Chip Rosenbloom, "The Rams will forever be grateful for the way Torry Holt represented the Rams on the field and in the community. He is an All-Pro in every sense of the word. Over the past 10 seasons Torry has proven himself to be one of the finest wide receivers in league history. This is a difficult decision because Torry has meant so much to the organization. In my mind and for all Rams fans, Torry will always be a Ram and we wish him and his family nothing but the best as they move forward."

A first-round pick in 1999, Holt averaged 80.1 yards per game (he played 158), the highest per-game average in NFL history. He currently is 11th on the all-time receiving list with 869 receptions and 14th with 12,660 yards.

"We were trying to do what is best for the Rams and at this point we thought it had gone far enough so let's do it now and give Torry an opportunity to look around," said general manager Billy Devaney.

"Just like Orlando, for the Rams you hate to see the Torry Holt era come to an end with just what a fantastic player and everything else he brought to the organization. In Rams history, this is a sad day."

The question now is what the Rams will do to replace Holt. Drew Bennett was released earlier in the offseason, and the only receivers under contract with NFL receptions are second-year players Donnie Avery and Keenan Burton and Derek Stanley, who is recovering from ACL surgery.

Said Devaney, "Those kids will be much improved this year but we are not kidding anybody, it's still an area that we have to add some depth to and add some players too. Whether that's players that are out there right now or whether it's through the draft, we recognize we still have to bring some guys in at that position.

"We are just going to focus on finding a good player. If it's a guy with experience, that's a bonus but we are not going to go out and sign somebody that we don't think can play and say 'Well, he's an experienced guy' if at the end of the day he doesn't help us much. The ideal would be a good player that's played a couple of years. If that guy is out there or materializes, yeah we would have an interest. If not, we will go through the draft again."