LaDainian Tomlinson is bolting for the Big Apple. Tomlinson's agent, Tom Condon, said Sunday that the New York Jets signed the former Chargers running back to a two-year contract. The Jets confirmed that they have agreed to a deal, adding the aging star to the NFL's top-ranked rushing offense last season.
Brady Quinn will get a chance to start over in Denver. Whether he'll get to start is up in the air. The Broncos acquired the former first-round draft pick from the Cleveland Browns for fullback Peyton Hillis, a 2011 sixth-round draft pick and a conditional pick in 2012. The teams announced the trade Sunday and said the deal is pending physicals.
It's a toss up whether the Jets or Giants will open the new Meadowlands Stadium. The Jets announced on their Web site Saturday night that they will flip a coin with the Giants to determine which team will host the first regular-season game at their new 82,500-seat, $1.6 billion stadium this season.
Free agent center Kevin Mawae was unanimously re-elected as president of the NFL Players Association during the union's board of player representatives meeting Saturday. Mawae, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, will serve his second straight two-year term beginning this season after the voting was announced in Maui with more than 100 players in attendance.
The Oakland Raiders bolstered their pass rush Sunday by acquiring former first-round pick Kamerion Wimbley from the Cleveland Browns for an undisclosed draft pick. Oakland senior executive John Herrera confirmed the deal, saying Oakland gave up a pick it had acquired in a previous deal. The Raiders had acquired a third-round pick from New England last summer in a deal for Derrick Burgess.
Veteran Green Bay Packers right tackle Mark Tauscher has agreed to terms on a multiyear contract that will bring him back to the team, his agent said Sunday. Agent Neil Cornrich said the deal will allow Tauscher, who went to the University of Wisconsin, to play his entire football career in his home state.
The NFL and its players union are bickering again, this time over benefits for the league's retired players. Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter posted on the league's labor Web site Saturday that the NFL is committed to its former players, and that no new collective bargaining agreement will be made without improving things for them.
The Seattle Seahawks have finally stepped into the free agent marketplace, agreeing to terms with tight end Chris Baker. A team spokesman confirmed a deal had been agreed to on Saturday, although the team did not release terms of the contract. Baker spent last season as a backup in New England, but previously was a starter for the New York Jets.
Jets coach Rex Ryan underwent a weight-loss procedure Saturday to help him fight obesity. The husky Ryan had lap-band surgery at NYU Medical Center, and was relaxing at his home in New Jersey on Saturday night, team spokesman Bruce Speight told The Associated Press. Speight said Ryan also had a hernia repaired.
Not content with just one aging, opinionated running back, the Washington Redskins added a second one Friday night when they signed Larry Johnson to a three-year, incentive-laden contract. Johnson agreed to a deal with a base value of $3.5 million, but he could make as much as $12 million if he meets certain incentives.
