News From Around the League:

Bucs News:
Well I have not fallen off the face of the earth, there just has not been much to write about. Sure I could have told you all that right guard Sean Mahan re-signed with the Bucs, again keeping last season offensive line together, which keeps changing the dynamics of this seasons draft. So who will the Bucs pick with the 23rd overall pick, who knows really? It could still be an offensive linemen, or a wide receiver, or they could move down and trade Simeon Rice, which is rumored. Last years draft, it was rumored that the Bucs where going to send Mr. Rice to the Chargers for one Mr. Rivers. But as we all know that did not happen.

The Bucs also brought in fullback Jerald Sowell, which I think is a good thing. Sowell is the man when it comes to blocking and has helped Curtis Martin of the Jets maintain mutliple 1,000 yard seasons. So he should be a good friend to my boy Cadillac Williams. Sowell, who worked with Bucs quarterbacks coach Paul Hackett and offensive line coach Bill Muir in New York, is expected to fill the void left on the BucsÂ’ roster by FB Jameel Cook, who signed with the Houston Texans earlier this offseason.


NFL News:
The Texans have made contract proposals to both Reggie Bush and Mario Williams, according to ESPN.com, and hope to have an agreement with one of the two in place prior to the draft April 29. Houston had David Carr signed, sealed, and delivered prior to draft day the last time they held the first overall pick. Odds are they're trying to keep the price of their top selection in check by publicly negotiating with both; they're still expected to take Bush, though a trade down that allows them to keep Domanick Davis and take Williams or D'Brickashaw Ferguson seems to make a whole lot of sense.

Linebacker LaVar Arrington agreed to terms with the Giants on a seven-year, $49 million contract, according to ESPN. Arrington got the $7 mil per year he was seeking, plus he gets to stay in the NFC East and harass his former team, the Redskins, twice a season. And there's a good possibility he'll find a way to get some pub in the media capital of the universe, too. As for the Giants, they fill a large need at linebacker heading into the draft, freeing them up to address other areas.


The Redskins signed wide receiver Brandon Lloyd (who just got there this off-season from the 49ers) to a long-term contract extension on Friday. Terms of the deal were not announced, the team's official web site reported. Lloyd was a restricted free agent this offseason and signed a one-year tender prior to being dealt from the 49ers to the Redskins. The terms are not terribly important for fantasy football owners to know. The big thing is that the two sides got a deal done, and Lloyd won't enter the 2006 season worried about working under a one-year RFA tender. He should enter training camp as the number two receiver alongside Santana Moss, although Antwaan Randle El might have something to say about that.

Ohio State wide receiver Santonio Holmes made a pre-draft visit to Denver, the Denver Post reports. All three receivers considered first-round picks—Holmes, Chad Jackson, and Sinorice Moss—have interviewed with the Broncos. After a trade with the Niners earlier this week, the Broncos now own only one pick in the first round, the No. 15 overall. Neither Holmes nor Moss is expected to command that high of a pick, but the Broncos have made as many draft deals as any team in the NFL, so you never know what's going on in Denver.

image courtesy of Profootballtalk.com

Is there trouble in paradise already:
Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens has not regularly attended the team's voluntary offseason workouts, and rumors surfaced that his lack of attendance might anger head coach Bill Parcells. Owens Jerry Jones addressed the situation on Thursday. "Bill and T.O. have worked that out. Both of them are on the same page as to how he does his workouts and the nature of his workouts. They're on the same page. I know first-hand that they're on the same page and it's not an issue with either one of them," Jones told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson said Thursday he is counting running back Priest Holmes" in" for the 2006 season. "If we had to start today, right now, the doctor would not clear him for contact," Peterson told the Associated Press. "But we don't have to start today." Holmes is still undecided on his NFL future while he recovers from head and neck trauma suffered in the middle of last season. If he does return to the Chiefs, it will most likely be as a change-of-pace to Larry Johnson, the team's unquestioned feature back.

Wide receiver Chad Johnson won't have to sweat any excessive celebration fines after agreeing to terms Thursday on a restructured contract that will pay him $35.5 million over the next six seasons. "As long as I've been doing this, I've never been able to get an extension like this," Johnson's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN.com. "In terms of 'new money,' and just being unique from the standpoint of being able to do something for a player who still had four years left on his [current] contract, it's really monumental." Johnson was slated to earn $5.75 million over the next two seasons; that total will jump to $16 million, including a $5 million signing bonus this year, another $5.75 in workout, reporting, and option bonuses over the next two seasons, and base salaries of $2.75 million in 2006 and $2.5 million in 2007. The restructuring adds two years to Johnson's existing deal, assuming the Bengals exercise the option for the 2011 season. If there were any concerns about lingering animosity between the team and Johnson with regards to the alleged locker room incident at halftime of Cincy's playoff loss, it appears they've been swept under a big pile of dollar bills.

Former Tennessee running back Eddie George, appearing as a guest host on the NFL Network, indicated he thinks ex-teammate Steve McNair is not long for the Titans, either. "Once [Titans owner] Bud Adams makes a decision about you, his mind is made up," George said on the network's "Total Access" program. George knows a little something about being run out of town by Adams; he was released by the club in 2004, when the two sides couldn't agree on a restructured contract, and spent his final season in Dallas. The Ravens are waiting for McNair to be released, which appears more likely with each day the former MVP is locked out of the Titans' training facilities. In Baltimore, he would be reunited with Derrick Mason and most certainly bump Kyle Boller to backup status.

Quarterback Joey Harrington informed the Lions on Wednesday he wants to be traded to the Dolphins, ESPN reported. "I look forward to joining the Miami Dolphins whenever I am released or a trade is completed," Harrington said in a statement. Harrington negotiated a two-year contract last week with the Dolphins, who have offered a 2007 sixth-round pick in exchange for his services. Lions president Matt Millen could refuse the offer, but he runs the risk of getting nothing in return for Harrington, who will be released before his $4 million roster bonus kicks in June 15.