ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Rams president John Shaw resigned after 29 years with the franchise and Billy Devaney was promoted to general manager Wednesday.

The two moves in a front office overhaul by a franchise that's been among the NFL's worst the last few seasons followed the resignation Monday of Jay Zygmunt as president of football operations. The Rams are 2-13 heading into Sunday's finale at Atlanta, and are 5-26 the last two seasons.

Shaw will be retained as a senior advisor and owner's representative.

Devaney, who has 23 years of NFL scouting experience, will be responsible for all player personnel decisions, including the draft, free agent acquisitions, trades and other transactions. He'll also head the search for a new head coach after the season.

Jim Haslett, 2-9 after replacing Scott Linehan following an 0-4 start, is among the candidates.

"I am very grateful to Rams ownership for giving me this opportunity to help return the team to an elite position in the National Football League," Devaney said in a statement. "This is an organization that has historically had a winning tradition, and it is our goal to get back to that level."

Devaney is finishing his first season with the Rams after two years with the Atlanta Falcons as senior personnel executive in 2006 and assistant GM in 2007. During his career, Devaney has been associated with teams that went to three Super Bowls and 19 playoff games.

"One of the best things that happened to the Rams during this difficult season was the hiring of Billy Devaney to our front office team," owner and chairman Chip Rosenbloom said in a statement. "We are very fortunate to have someone with Billy's character and intelligence taking control of the football side of this organization."

In his new capacity, Shaw will advise and consult with ownership and represent the club on virtually all league matters, as well as other team affairs, the Rams said.

Shaw, 57, is in his 29th season with the Rams, joining the team as controller and treasurer in 1980. He oversaw the move from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995 and helped produce the franchise's first Super Bowl championship after the 1999 season.

"I've been blessed to have worked for one of the great NFL franchises the last 29 years and had the good fortune of working with two terrific owners, Georgia Frontiere and Stan Kroenke," Shaw said in a statement.

Shaw remained based in Los Angeles long after the franchise cut ties to the West Coast. He stepped down after one season under Rosenbloom, who inherited the team along with his sister after Frontiere's death in January.

Rosenbloom said Shaw was "like another son" to his mother and credited those two with fighting the NFL to move the team to St. Louis.

"I would like every fan in St. Louis to know that without John Shaw there is no St. Louis Rams," Rosenbloom said. "He is one of the most important and influential executives in the modern NFL."