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After wading through the pool in the early stages of free agency, the Carolina Panthers are jumping in head first by talking today with receiver Keyshawn Johnson. Johnson, one of the biggest names in free agency this offseason, arrived in Charlotte on Wednesday night. He will visit today with team officials, according to league sources. ... The same sources said Steve Smith has talked to Johnson to encourage him to join the Panthers, and said Johnson's interest in Carolina has a lot do with the presence of offensive coordinator Dan Henning.
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Trade talks involving Joey Harrington should accelerate with Harrington due back in the country before the weekend and the NFL's annual league meetings set to begin Sunday. The meetings, which run through Wednesday in Orlando, Fla., bring together executives from all 32 teams and will give Lions president Matt Millen a forum for face-to-face talks with any team interested in acquiring Harrington. Millen spoke last week with Kansas City Chiefs president Carl Peterson when the two were at the Penn State pro-day workouts.
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More and more, it's looking like former Commanders linebacker LaVar Arrington is headed to the Sunshine State. Question is, will Arrington be playing for Miami's Dolphins or Jacksonville's Jaguars? Both teams are putting on a late, heavy push, and Arrington's decision is expected shortly. Both the Dolphins and Jaguars have a need for a playmaking linebacker such as Arrington, and he would have no problem going to a state where he would not have to pay state income tax. The Giants and Bengals could make last-minute pushes for Arrington, but right now, it looks like Arrington is bound for Florida -- somewhere.
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There could be some competition for free-agent quarterback Kerry Collins, who has long been linked to the Ravens. Arizona Cardinals personnel executive Rod Graves said the team has spoken with Collins' agent and will weigh its interest in him against its options in the draft.
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Former Cowboys guard Larry Allen is expected to draw interest from the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks, for interesting reasons. Allen owns a home 20 minutes from Oakland's training complex and would like to live there full time. The Raiders could use a guard like Allen, so there's a fit there. But there's an even larger fit in Seattle, where the Seahawks could plug in Allen into the spot Steve Hutchinson vacated.
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The Ravens have let a marginal class thin out to the point where only one of the top 10 free-agent safeties - Tank Williams - is still available. "There are some safeties out there that we still like," said general manager Ozzie Newsome, who recently added that the Ravens are going to wait for the free-agent market to "settle." Williams, 25, would appear to be the best fit for the Ravens, who have long sought out a "thumper" in the secondary. The Ravens have yet to express any interest in Williams, his agent said.
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The Packers have an interest in former Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt, although no visit has been set, an NFL source said. GM Ted Thompson intimated that the position is not a priority. "We'll need a kicker sometime around the second week in September, when we open the season," said Thompson, whose team lost franchise leading scorer Ryan Longwell to the Minnesota Vikings earlier this month. "Until then, we don't absolutely have to have a kicker. But we're working on it."
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Also unknown is the Eagles' interest level in Eric Moulds, the 32-year-old wide receiver who has been given permission by Buffalo to seek a trade. Some observers feel the Bills will have to release Moulds anyway, assuming he continues to resist restructuring his contract, and that no trade is likely. Moulds' agent, Harry Henderson, did not return calls from the Daily News.
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Najeh Davenport visited the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday, a day after meeting with the Miami Dolphins, but the Packers remain interested in re-signing the unrestricted free agent. It’s unclear whether the Packers have been negotiating with Davenport, but all indications are they would like to re-sign him for the right price. If Davenport returns, he will have to compete for playing time with Ahman Green, who was re-signed to a one-year deal, and Samkon Gado, who was under contract from last year.
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A league official said the Giants would likely sign a defensive tackle next week. Brentson Buckner and Grady Jackson are possibilities, and both have been in contact with the Giants.
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The Patriots have made an informal initial inquiry on Buffalo wide receiver Eric Moulds, who has been given permission to seek a trade after the former All-Pro wouldn't take a paycut
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Major Adams, Vince Young's agent, said the New York Jets, who pick No. 4, and the Baltimore Ravens, at No. 13, have scheduled individual workouts for the quarterback. Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Keith Rowen took Young out for dinner to an Austin steakhouse Tuesday night for an informal interview. The Cardinals have the 10th pick of the first round.
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Aaron Brooks has not been promised a starting job but will be the most seasoned quarterback in the mix. The Raiders have the seventh overall pick in the April 29-30 NFL Draft and they are expected to select a quarterback. Although Oakland could attempt to trade up to acquire either former USC quarterback Matt Leinart or former Vanderbilt passer Jay Cutler, owner Al Davis has been watching former Texas QB Vince Young very closely.
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Pats free agent wide receiver Troy Brown has drawn interest from the Jets and appears close to making a decision on where he’ll play next year.
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Mike McMahon, late of the Philadelphia Eagles, is scheduled to meet today with Broncos coaches at Dove Valley to discuss the possibility of becoming a No. 2 quarterback candidate behind starter Jake Plummer. McMahon, 27, is the second veteran QB to pique the staff's interest in the past couple of weeks, after a brief flirtation with Gus Frerotte, who instead signed with the St. Louis Rams. Denver has competition for McMahon's services. The former Rutgers University standout was in Minnesota on Wednesday to meet with the Vikings. He spent the night in Minneapolis before his anticipated trip to Colorado this morning.
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On Wednesday, punter Jason Baker came and left St. Louis without a contract - an unusual occurrence in the current free agency landscape, where players usually visit cities to sign contracts. There were indications Wednesday evening that the Rams had turned there attention instead to Matt Turk, 37, an 11-year veteran who missed the entire 2005 season in Miami because of a groin injury. Baker, 27, is coming off a career year and was thought to be seeking more than $1 million a year. He's drawing interest from Baltimore, Seattle and Carolina.
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Saints wide receiver Donté Stallworth was jailed in Miami Beach early Saturday morning after police stopped Stallworth for having an expired tag on his 2005 Bentley, The Miami Herald reported Wednesday.
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Free-agent linebacker Ben Taylor is weighing contract offers from the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns, and probably will decide by Friday. Taylor’s agent, Bob Lattimore, held additional talks with both teams Wednesday, and said the Carolina Panthers have shown preliminary interest, as well.
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GM Mike Tannenbaum said the Jets were happy with Chad Pennington's progress, but he would not discuss specifics, not even to confirm that Pennington had begun throwing again, something that Pennington had already told reporters. Pennington had been recuperating in Florida, but is now under the supervision of the Jets' trainers and strength and conditioning coaches.
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A source with knowledge of Mark Roman's situation said he was upset that the Packers basically had signed Marquand Manuel to replace him at strong safety. For now, at least, it appears as if Roman isn’t going to take part in team activities.
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There will be a day when quarterback Brett Favre lets the Green Bay Packers know whether he's going to play again. Really, there will be. Right now, the Packers don't know when that will be, so for a second time they pushed back the date - this time to April 1 - that Favre must be on the team to qualify for a $3 million roster bonus. Much has been made of the deadline, but it is mostly artificial because under the terms of the contract Favre doesn't receive the money until September if he returns and doesn't receive it at all if he retires. Thus, if the Packers let the deadline pass, Favre does not become a free agent. He simply is guaranteed the $3 million if he comes back and plays.
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The Saints will hold press conferences today in Shreveport and Jackson, Miss., to announce that their preseason games will be held in those towns. The Saints will play the Dallas Cowboys in Shreveport on Aug. 21 in a nationally televised Monday Night Football game on ESPN. They will then play the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 26 in Jackson.
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This is how sure Colts general manager Bill Polian was that Adam Vinatieri would re-sign with the Patriots: He didn’t even bother putting in a call when Vinatieri became a free agent. But late last week Vinatieri fired his longtime agent. And then everything changed. The decision to jettison Neil Cornrich’s group in favor of Gary Uberstine’s appears central to the process that led Vinatieri out of New England and into Indianapolis, where Tuesday he agreed to a multi-year contract worth at least $2.5 million annually that makes him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history. “We presumed after such a long time in New England and two franchise designations that they’d reach a long-term agreement and he’d go finish his career there,” Polian told ESPN radio yesterday. “I don’t think very many people around the league had heard anything to suggest the contrary.” Conversations with agents and other league sources last night, however, suggest Cornrich’s office failed to shop him aggressively. And that sat poorly with Vinatieri, who had tired of playing in New England for one-year deals and franchise tags when he had established himself as the best clutch kicker in the game. “He’s been mad for a long time,” one of Vinatieri’s former teammates said yesterday. “He’s never been happy with the deals he got there.”
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For the past couple of weeks the Commanders had expressed an interest in free agent cornerback Jamar Fletcher, but Fletcher hasn't visited. Sources said that Fletcher was hoping to find a team that would allow him to compete for one of the two starting cornerback jobs, an unlikely scenario barring injury in Washington as Shawn Springs and Carlos Rogers are the uncontested starters. According to one league source, the market has slowed because of a glut of quality cornerbacks.
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In what he indicated were his final comments about the trade of quarterback Daunte Culpepper, Vikings coach Brad Childress confirmed Tuesday that he turned down Culpepper's request for a playbook during the formative stages of their relationship. Childress also did not deny that he was the author of a March 6 e-mail that prompted Culpepper to request a trade. Culpepper called the e-mail "disturbing" but Childress would not reveal its contents.
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Should they sign Jon Runyan, who visited yesterday and took a physical, or another veteran offensive tackle, the Jets are expected to target North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams, who would be the heir apparent to John Abraham. If the Jets don't sign a veteran offensive tackle, they'll likely eye Virginia left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson with the No. 4 pick in the draft. Despite rampant speculation, it doesn't appear the Jets will try to package their two first-round picks (fourth and 29th) to try to move up to select USC quarterback Matt Leinart. They've also cooled on Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler.
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Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin has been cleared to resume playing football next season, his agent said Wednesday. Hamlin, 25, suffered a fractured skull in a fight outside a Pioneer Square nightclub in October. He spent nearly a week in the hospital and suffered cerebral bruising. He was placed on the injured list two weeks after the incident, ending his season.
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Wide receiver David Tyree signed a five-year contract worth about $7.5 million to remain with the Giants. The deal, first reported by The Star-Ledger on nj.com yesterday morning, makes the Montclair native the highest-paid special-teams player in NFL history.
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Seahawks backup quarterback Seneca Wallace, a restricted free agent, visited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday.
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The Seahawks have interest in former Cowboys guard Larry Allen, according to Fox Sports Radio's Chris Landry. Allen is a candidate to replace Steve Hutchinson who left Seattle for Minnesota.
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The Packers don’t appear interested in veteran guard Larry Allen, who was cut by the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, or veteran receiver Eric Moulds, who was granted permission by the Buffalo Bills to seek a trade.
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Trade talks involving Joey Harrington should accelerate with Harrington due back in the country before the weekend and the NFL's annual league meetings set to begin Sunday. The meetings, which run through Wednesday in Orlando, Fla., bring together executives from all 32 teams and will give Lions president Matt Millen a forum for face-to-face talks with any team interested in acquiring Harrington. Millen spoke last week with Kansas City Chiefs president Carl Peterson when the two were at the Penn State pro-day workouts.
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More and more, it's looking like former Commanders linebacker LaVar Arrington is headed to the Sunshine State. Question is, will Arrington be playing for Miami's Dolphins or Jacksonville's Jaguars? Both teams are putting on a late, heavy push, and Arrington's decision is expected shortly. Both the Dolphins and Jaguars have a need for a playmaking linebacker such as Arrington, and he would have no problem going to a state where he would not have to pay state income tax. The Giants and Bengals could make last-minute pushes for Arrington, but right now, it looks like Arrington is bound for Florida -- somewhere.
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There could be some competition for free-agent quarterback Kerry Collins, who has long been linked to the Ravens. Arizona Cardinals personnel executive Rod Graves said the team has spoken with Collins' agent and will weigh its interest in him against its options in the draft.
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Former Cowboys guard Larry Allen is expected to draw interest from the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks, for interesting reasons. Allen owns a home 20 minutes from Oakland's training complex and would like to live there full time. The Raiders could use a guard like Allen, so there's a fit there. But there's an even larger fit in Seattle, where the Seahawks could plug in Allen into the spot Steve Hutchinson vacated.
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The Ravens have let a marginal class thin out to the point where only one of the top 10 free-agent safeties - Tank Williams - is still available. "There are some safeties out there that we still like," said general manager Ozzie Newsome, who recently added that the Ravens are going to wait for the free-agent market to "settle." Williams, 25, would appear to be the best fit for the Ravens, who have long sought out a "thumper" in the secondary. The Ravens have yet to express any interest in Williams, his agent said.
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The Packers have an interest in former Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt, although no visit has been set, an NFL source said. GM Ted Thompson intimated that the position is not a priority. "We'll need a kicker sometime around the second week in September, when we open the season," said Thompson, whose team lost franchise leading scorer Ryan Longwell to the Minnesota Vikings earlier this month. "Until then, we don't absolutely have to have a kicker. But we're working on it."
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Also unknown is the Eagles' interest level in Eric Moulds, the 32-year-old wide receiver who has been given permission by Buffalo to seek a trade. Some observers feel the Bills will have to release Moulds anyway, assuming he continues to resist restructuring his contract, and that no trade is likely. Moulds' agent, Harry Henderson, did not return calls from the Daily News.
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Najeh Davenport visited the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday, a day after meeting with the Miami Dolphins, but the Packers remain interested in re-signing the unrestricted free agent. It’s unclear whether the Packers have been negotiating with Davenport, but all indications are they would like to re-sign him for the right price. If Davenport returns, he will have to compete for playing time with Ahman Green, who was re-signed to a one-year deal, and Samkon Gado, who was under contract from last year.
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A league official said the Giants would likely sign a defensive tackle next week. Brentson Buckner and Grady Jackson are possibilities, and both have been in contact with the Giants.
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The Patriots have made an informal initial inquiry on Buffalo wide receiver Eric Moulds, who has been given permission to seek a trade after the former All-Pro wouldn't take a paycut
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Major Adams, Vince Young's agent, said the New York Jets, who pick No. 4, and the Baltimore Ravens, at No. 13, have scheduled individual workouts for the quarterback. Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Keith Rowen took Young out for dinner to an Austin steakhouse Tuesday night for an informal interview. The Cardinals have the 10th pick of the first round.
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Aaron Brooks has not been promised a starting job but will be the most seasoned quarterback in the mix. The Raiders have the seventh overall pick in the April 29-30 NFL Draft and they are expected to select a quarterback. Although Oakland could attempt to trade up to acquire either former USC quarterback Matt Leinart or former Vanderbilt passer Jay Cutler, owner Al Davis has been watching former Texas QB Vince Young very closely.
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Pats free agent wide receiver Troy Brown has drawn interest from the Jets and appears close to making a decision on where he’ll play next year.
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Mike McMahon, late of the Philadelphia Eagles, is scheduled to meet today with Broncos coaches at Dove Valley to discuss the possibility of becoming a No. 2 quarterback candidate behind starter Jake Plummer. McMahon, 27, is the second veteran QB to pique the staff's interest in the past couple of weeks, after a brief flirtation with Gus Frerotte, who instead signed with the St. Louis Rams. Denver has competition for McMahon's services. The former Rutgers University standout was in Minnesota on Wednesday to meet with the Vikings. He spent the night in Minneapolis before his anticipated trip to Colorado this morning.
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On Wednesday, punter Jason Baker came and left St. Louis without a contract - an unusual occurrence in the current free agency landscape, where players usually visit cities to sign contracts. There were indications Wednesday evening that the Rams had turned there attention instead to Matt Turk, 37, an 11-year veteran who missed the entire 2005 season in Miami because of a groin injury. Baker, 27, is coming off a career year and was thought to be seeking more than $1 million a year. He's drawing interest from Baltimore, Seattle and Carolina.
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Saints wide receiver Donté Stallworth was jailed in Miami Beach early Saturday morning after police stopped Stallworth for having an expired tag on his 2005 Bentley, The Miami Herald reported Wednesday.
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Free-agent linebacker Ben Taylor is weighing contract offers from the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns, and probably will decide by Friday. Taylor’s agent, Bob Lattimore, held additional talks with both teams Wednesday, and said the Carolina Panthers have shown preliminary interest, as well.
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GM Mike Tannenbaum said the Jets were happy with Chad Pennington's progress, but he would not discuss specifics, not even to confirm that Pennington had begun throwing again, something that Pennington had already told reporters. Pennington had been recuperating in Florida, but is now under the supervision of the Jets' trainers and strength and conditioning coaches.
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A source with knowledge of Mark Roman's situation said he was upset that the Packers basically had signed Marquand Manuel to replace him at strong safety. For now, at least, it appears as if Roman isn’t going to take part in team activities.
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There will be a day when quarterback Brett Favre lets the Green Bay Packers know whether he's going to play again. Really, there will be. Right now, the Packers don't know when that will be, so for a second time they pushed back the date - this time to April 1 - that Favre must be on the team to qualify for a $3 million roster bonus. Much has been made of the deadline, but it is mostly artificial because under the terms of the contract Favre doesn't receive the money until September if he returns and doesn't receive it at all if he retires. Thus, if the Packers let the deadline pass, Favre does not become a free agent. He simply is guaranteed the $3 million if he comes back and plays.
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The Saints will hold press conferences today in Shreveport and Jackson, Miss., to announce that their preseason games will be held in those towns. The Saints will play the Dallas Cowboys in Shreveport on Aug. 21 in a nationally televised Monday Night Football game on ESPN. They will then play the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 26 in Jackson.
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This is how sure Colts general manager Bill Polian was that Adam Vinatieri would re-sign with the Patriots: He didn’t even bother putting in a call when Vinatieri became a free agent. But late last week Vinatieri fired his longtime agent. And then everything changed. The decision to jettison Neil Cornrich’s group in favor of Gary Uberstine’s appears central to the process that led Vinatieri out of New England and into Indianapolis, where Tuesday he agreed to a multi-year contract worth at least $2.5 million annually that makes him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history. “We presumed after such a long time in New England and two franchise designations that they’d reach a long-term agreement and he’d go finish his career there,” Polian told ESPN radio yesterday. “I don’t think very many people around the league had heard anything to suggest the contrary.” Conversations with agents and other league sources last night, however, suggest Cornrich’s office failed to shop him aggressively. And that sat poorly with Vinatieri, who had tired of playing in New England for one-year deals and franchise tags when he had established himself as the best clutch kicker in the game. “He’s been mad for a long time,” one of Vinatieri’s former teammates said yesterday. “He’s never been happy with the deals he got there.”
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For the past couple of weeks the Commanders had expressed an interest in free agent cornerback Jamar Fletcher, but Fletcher hasn't visited. Sources said that Fletcher was hoping to find a team that would allow him to compete for one of the two starting cornerback jobs, an unlikely scenario barring injury in Washington as Shawn Springs and Carlos Rogers are the uncontested starters. According to one league source, the market has slowed because of a glut of quality cornerbacks.
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In what he indicated were his final comments about the trade of quarterback Daunte Culpepper, Vikings coach Brad Childress confirmed Tuesday that he turned down Culpepper's request for a playbook during the formative stages of their relationship. Childress also did not deny that he was the author of a March 6 e-mail that prompted Culpepper to request a trade. Culpepper called the e-mail "disturbing" but Childress would not reveal its contents.
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Should they sign Jon Runyan, who visited yesterday and took a physical, or another veteran offensive tackle, the Jets are expected to target North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams, who would be the heir apparent to John Abraham. If the Jets don't sign a veteran offensive tackle, they'll likely eye Virginia left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson with the No. 4 pick in the draft. Despite rampant speculation, it doesn't appear the Jets will try to package their two first-round picks (fourth and 29th) to try to move up to select USC quarterback Matt Leinart. They've also cooled on Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler.
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Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin has been cleared to resume playing football next season, his agent said Wednesday. Hamlin, 25, suffered a fractured skull in a fight outside a Pioneer Square nightclub in October. He spent nearly a week in the hospital and suffered cerebral bruising. He was placed on the injured list two weeks after the incident, ending his season.
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Wide receiver David Tyree signed a five-year contract worth about $7.5 million to remain with the Giants. The deal, first reported by The Star-Ledger on nj.com yesterday morning, makes the Montclair native the highest-paid special-teams player in NFL history.
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Seahawks backup quarterback Seneca Wallace, a restricted free agent, visited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday.
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The Seahawks have interest in former Cowboys guard Larry Allen, according to Fox Sports Radio's Chris Landry. Allen is a candidate to replace Steve Hutchinson who left Seattle for Minnesota.
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The Packers don’t appear interested in veteran guard Larry Allen, who was cut by the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, or veteran receiver Eric Moulds, who was granted permission by the Buffalo Bills to seek a trade.
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