Aug 2, 2014 3 min read

Winning, not money, is driving Tennessee quarterback Jake Locker as he heads into his make-or-break season in the NFL.

The Titans decided against picking up Locker’s option for 2015, choosing to let the eighth overall pick in 2011 prove he can stay on the field and win games in the final year of his rookie contract.

Locker has missed 14 of a potential 32 games since being selected as Tennessee’s starter, including the final seven of last season.

That’s just fine with Locker.

“I’ve been fortunate,” Locker said. “My wife and I have been smart with our money, and we have. We’re fine. We don’t have to worry about it. So I get the freedom and the ability to go out and play for this football team and have fun.”

A strong season would put Locker in position for an even bigger contract, yet the quarterback who stayed in college at Washington for his senior season rather than leave early for the NFL draft says he still isn’t in the game for the money.

“I care about winning football games and doing it with a good group of guys that I’ve gotten to know really well,” Locker said.

Locker already has shown he’s fully recovered from the Lisfranc injury to his right foot that ended last season and helped lead to the firing of coach Mike Munchak after three seasons. But he has been learning a new offense from his third offensive coordinator in his career.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt is known for his work with Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, Kurt Warner in Arizona and Philip Rivers in San Diego last year.

Whisenhunt and his assistants have been working to improve Locker’s throwing motion, even using a small video camera on top of an extendable pole in certain quarterback drills to hone in on his footwork and technique.

Locker being able to take part in all of the Titans’ on-field work in the offseason helped the transition.

Bradford impressive in scrimmage: Sam Bradford showed improved zip on the ball during the St. Louis Rams’ fan fest scrimmage at the Edward Jones Dome.

Bradford seems to be reaping the benefits of upper-body training while out with a knee injury.

To keep Bradford’s arm strong, the Rams are monitoring his pitch count much as the St. Louis Cardinals would do for star pitcher Adam Wainwright.

The Rams began tracking Bradford’s throws when coach Jeff Fisher arrived in 2012.

Dorsey tears bicep: San Francisco 49ers nose tackle Glenn Dorsey has a torn left biceps muscle and will undergo surgery, a person with knowledge of the injury said Saturday.

It’s unclear how long he might be sidelined. Dorsey left Friday’s practice with the injury.

The source said Saturday that Dorsey had torn his biceps and would need an operation, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced anything about Dorsey’s injury or the severity.

Jaguars sign 3, waive 3: The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed receiver Kenny Shaw, defensive tackle David Carter and linebacker Josh Hull.

The team waived/injured defensive tackle Jordan Miller (knee), linebacker John Lotulelei (knee) and receiver Damian Copeland (wrist).

Shaw, a standout at Florida State, was signed as an undrafted rookie by Cleveland in May and waived last month.