Jerry Rice and Desmond Howard got the green light for 1992, while a bevy of players, including a few known outside their immediate families, picked up pink slips from NFL teams.
Rice, the diminutive speedster who helped turned Joe Montana's passes into touchdowns and the San Francisco 49ers into champions, ended a 37-day holdout by signing with the 49ers on Tuesday. He put his signature to a series of one-year contracts worth between $7 million and $8 million."This contract makes Jerry Rice the highest paid non-quarterback in the league," 49ers president Carmen Policy said.
Rice, a five-time Pro Bowler, is the 49ers' career receiving leader and is seven TDs shy of Steve Largent's record of 100.
Desmond Howard hasn't gained a yard or scored a point, but he's among the league leaders already in bank accounts.
The Washington Redskins signed last year's Heisman Trophy winner to a four-year deal worth $6 million. That's an average of $1.5 million a year, more per annum than the terms agreed to Tuesday by Washington's Jim Lachey, who's considered perhaps the best offensive lineman in the game. Also signing Tuesday was Darrell Green, an All-Pro defensive back.
Among those cut free Tuesday were a trio of players who've known only championships in their college days at Miami. Running backs Melvin Bratton and Alonzo Highsmith were waived by Atlanta and Tampa Bay, respectively, and kicker Carlos Huerta, whose 157 consecutive extra points is a college record, was let go by San Diego. Roman Anderson, who at Houston set an NCAA record with 423 points via the foot, was axed by the Minnesota Vikings.
The Buffalo Bills waived former Utah State Aggie Hal Garner, a special teams standout for teams that earned spots in the last two Super Bowls, and quarterback Matt Rodgers, a rookie from Iowa whose father Jimmy coaches the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA.
The Chicago Bears waived punter Maury Buford, who had been a regular with San Diego before coming to the Bears.
Among those let go by Cleveland was Johnie Cooks, the No. 2 pick in the 1982 NFL draft who played for the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants before going to the Browns last season.
The New England Patriots put wide receiver Hart Lee Dykes on the physically unable to perform list. A broken kneecap sidelined him last season and he had a recurrence of the injury this summer.
In a continuing restructuring, the Minnesota Vikings got rid of both players who vied for several seasons for the starting fullback position, Alfred Anderson and Rick Fenney. The Vikings, concentrating on a one-back offense, have only four healthy backs on their roster.
A former Viking, safety Joey Browner, was signed by Tampa Bay, which cut wide receiver Ricky Nattiel, one of the "Three Amigos" receiving group when Denver was going to Super Bowls in the late 1980s.
Here's a list of the NFL transactions for Tuesday:
ATLANTA FALCONS-Waived Frankie Smith, cornerback; LeAndre Anderson, defensive end; Don Reynolds, defensive tackle; Richard Ashe, tight end; Melvin Bratton, running back; Kevin Brown, linebacker; Bill Goldberg, nose tackle; Horace Hamm, Michael Johnson and Bobby Olive, wide receivers; Sharron Washington and Roland Smith, cornerbacks; Darrell Hamilton and Neal Fort, tackles, and Hosie Smith, guard. Placed Chris McLemore, running back, and Dave Zawatson, tackle, on injured reserve.
BUFFALO BILLS-Waived Hal Garner, linebacker; Greg Paterra, running back; Jim Couch, placekicker; Doug Helkowski, punter; Matt Rodgers, quarterback; Jason Childs, offensive lineman; Leonard Humphries, cornerback; Frank Kmet and Marlon Jones; defensive ends; Barry Rose and Wayne Walker, wide receivers; Kenny Gamble, running back. Placed John Davis, offensive lineman; Jamie Mueller, running back, and Darryl Wren, defensive back, on the physically-unable-to-perform list. Placed Frank Miotke, wide receiver, and Jeff Stephenson, linebacker, on injured reserve.
CHICAGO BEARS-Waived Maury Buford, punter; Ron Mattes, offensive tackle; Eric Ihnat, tight end; James Lott and Mark Berry, cornerbacks; John Wiley, safety; John Brown and Gene Thomas, wide receivers; Nikki Fisher, fullback; and Chris Wilson, linebacker.
CINCINNATI BENGALS-Waived Wayne Haddix, cornerback.
CLEVELAND BROWNS-Released Johnie Cooks and Van Waiters, linebackers; Jeff Ellis, tight end; Augustin Olobia, wide receiver. Placed Paul Farren and Rob Woods, offensive linemen, and Lawyer Tillman, wide receiver, on the physically-unable-to perform list. Placed Selwyn Jones, defensive back, and Patrick Rowe, wide receiver, on injured reserve.
DALLAS COWBOYS-Claimed Chad Fortune, tight end, off waivers from the Washington Redskins. Released Brian Mitchell, cornerback.
DENVER BRONCOS-Agreed to terms with Warren Powers, defensive end.
DETROIT LIONS-Signed Kevin Glover, center.
GREEN BAY PACKERS-Agreed to terms with Robert Brown, defensive lineman.
HOUSTON OILERS-Waived Pat Danko, defensive tackle. Agreed to terms with Mike Munchak, guard, on a two-year contract.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS-Waived Ronald Humphrey, running back; Derek Steele, defensive lineman; Bob Mrosko and John Talley, tight ends; Darvell Huffman, wide receiver; Rob Luedeke and John Ray, offensive linemen; Isaac Morehouse and James Williams, defensive backs, and Frank Giannetti, nose tackle. Placed Travis Davis, nose tackle, and Shoun Habersham, wide receiver, on injured reserve.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS-Released Herbie Anderson, Eric Everett and Raymond Irvin, cornerbacks; Darryl Grant, defensive tackle; Pete Shorts, offensive tackle; Marcus Grant and Byron Jackson, wide receivers; Dean Brown and Jerry Ostroski, guards; Aaron Emanuel, running back; Mike Lansford and Steve Starcevich, kicker; Kent Sullivan, punter, and Brent White, defensive end.
LOS ANGELES RAIDERS-Waived Alberto White, linebacker; Mike Alexander and Stacey Simmons, wide receivers, and Malcolm Showell, defensive lineman; Placed Greg Townsend and Scott Davis, defensive linemen, on the reserve-did not report list. Placed James Fitzpatrick and Tony Rowell, offensive linemen; Walter Watts, defensive lineman, and Brent Fullwood, running back, on injured reserve. Placed Dennis Johnson, defensive back, on the reserve-non-football injury list.
LOS ANGELES RAMS-Released Doug Smith and Kelvin Harris, centers; Joe Campbell, running back; John Fisher and Randy Schneider, offensive linemen; Courtney Griffin and Everett Nicholas, defensive backs; Hendricks Johnson, Jonathon Pinckney and Paul Smith, wide receivers, and Darian McKinney, tight end.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS-Placed Hart Lee Dykes, wide receiver, on the reserve-physically-unable-to-perform list.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS-Waived Stan Petry, cornerback; Herbert Casey, John Brown and Eugene Rowell, wide receivers; Kevin Verdugo, quarterback; Kary Vincent, cornerback, and Robert Stewart, nose tackle. Reached injury settlement with Ernest Spears, safety. Placed Kevin Haverdink, tackle, on injured reserve. Placed Gil Fenerty, running back, on the reserve-retired list. Assigned George Devaney, tight end, and Bobby Morse, fullback, to the reserve squad.
NEW YORK GIANTS-Signed Carl Banks, linebacker, to a one-year contract.
NEW YORK JETS-Renewed their lease to use Hofstra University as a training site through 2009. Reached injury settlement with A.B. Brown, running back.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS-Released Alfred Anderson and Rick Fenney, running backs; Brian Dahl, Ivan Caesar and Ed Sutter, linebackers; Brent Griffith and Eric Wenzel, offensive tackles; Lydell Carr and Lorenzo Graham, running backs; Irvin Smith and Curtis Banks, cornerbacks; Chris Cochrane, quarterback; John Jett, punter; Roman Anderson, kicker; Kendal Smith, wide receiver; Brian Smith, defensive end. Placed Lorenzo Freeman, defensive lineman; Luke Fisher, tight end on injured reserve. Placed Mike Gaddis, running back, on the physically-unable-to-perform list.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS-Waived Craig Veasey, defensive lineman; Cornelius Benton, quarterback; Mike Saunders and David Daniels, running backs; Andrew Hill and Johnny Walker, wide receivers; Paul Siffri, tight end; Hesham Ismail and Dean Dingman, offensive linemen; Jono Tunney and Kacy Rodgers, linebackers; David Hargett, safety, and Nate Williams, defensive lineman. Placed Gary Jones, safety, on injured reserve. Claimed Mickey Washington, cornerback, on waivers from the New England Patriots.
PHOENIX CARDINALS-Waived Brian Brauninger, tackle.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS-Waived Carlos Huerta, placekicker; Jeff Graham, quarterback; Mitchell Benson. defensive tackle; Bob Christian, running back; Darrell Colbert, Derrick Faison, Keith McDonald and Jimmy Raye, wide receivers; Chris Collins and Galand Thaxton, linebackers; Cedric Jackson, H-back; Darryl Jenkins, tackle; Rich Jones, punter; Derrick Kelson, cornerback; Chris Oldham, safety, and Craig McEwen, tight end. Placed Ray Ethridge, wide receiver, and David Grayson, linebacker, on the physically unable to perform list. Placed Donnie Elder, cornerback; John Friesz, quarterback, and Mark Nua tackle, on injured reserve.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS-Signed Jerry Rice, wide receiver, to a series of three one-year contracts. Signed Ilia Jarostchuk, linebacker. Released Sheldon Canley and Adam Walker, running backs; Troy Kyles and Tim Stallworth, wide receivers; Mike Sanfratello, David Wilkins, Odell Haggins, Michael Simmons and Corey Mayfield, defensive linemen; Johnnie Jackson, safety; Leroy Smith, linebacker, and Chuck Thomas, center. Placed Rodney Thomas, running back, on injured reserve.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS-Waived Rusty Hilger, quarterback; Mike Jovanovich and James Robinson, offensive tackles, and Michael Sturdivant, wide receiver. Placed Gary Dandridge, safety, on injured reserve.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS-Signed Joey Browner, safety. Waived Ricky Nattiel, wide receiver; Mark Robinson, defensive back; and Alonzo Highsmith and Robert Hardy, running backs.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS-Signed Desmond Howard, wide receiver, to a four-year-cntract; Jim Lachey, offensive tackle, to a three-year contract, and Darrell Green, cornerback, to an undisclosed multiyear contract. Waived Calvin Holmes, cornerback; Dennis Ransom, tight end. Placed Mark Adickes, offensive lineman, and Clarence Vaughn, saefety, on injured reserve. Traded George Hinkle, defensive end, and Joe Howard-Johnson, wide receiver, to the Minnesota Vikings for an undisclosed 1993 draft choice.