Agent says 21 teams interested in Giants DE Umenyiora

Osi Umenyiora's agent is finding plenty of NFL teams interested in trading for the star defensive end, but so far, none of them appear willing to pay the New York Giants' asking price.

"Just trying to convince them to give up that elusive first-round pick," Tony Agnone told the New York Post on Tuesday. "Still working on it."

Osi Umenyiora is coming off a season in which he had 11.5 sacks and 10 forced fumbles. NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks looks at five teams that could be suitors for his services. More...

Agnone told the newspaper that he has received inquiries from 21 teams. The New York Daily News reported Monday that the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks have shown interest either to the Giants or to Agnone. But the combination of the Giants' asking price -- a first-round pick -- and Umenyiora's desire to earn more money is making a deal difficult.

The Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday that the Giants have dropped their demand for a first-round pick and would be willing to accept a second-round pick. The newspaper cited a league source in reporting that the Ravens and the New England Patriots are interested in Umenyiora.

Umenyiora, 29, wants to rework a contract that will pay him $7 million over the next two seasons, with $3.1 million due this season. He led the Giants with 11.5 sacks and 10 forced fumbles in 2010, and he has grown increasingly frustrated with the criticism he's receiving over the situation.

The Giants gave Agnone a limited time to make a deal, and that deadline is drawing near.

"It's not going to be long now," he said.

After holding out of training camp the first day, Umenyiora reported the next three but didn't participate in practice.

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Seahawks will sign QB Jackson, no longer interested in Kolb

Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is set to sign with the Seattle Seahawks, a league source has confirmed to NFL Network insider Michael Lombardi.

Jackson, who will enter his sixth NFL season, has spent his career with the Minnesota Vikings, where he has served as Brett Favre's backup the past two seasons. Jackson has made 20 career starts, with his most significant playing time coming in 2007 when he started 12 games, throwing for 1,911 yards, nine touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

With the Seahawks expected to be without Matt Hasselbeck this season, Jackson -- who played under offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell in Minnesota -- figures to compete with Charlie Whitehurst for Seattle's starting job. The Seahawks also are expected to sign Matt Leinart, who played for coach Pete Carroll in college at Southern California, according to NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora.

La Canfora also reports that, with the signing of Jackson, the Seahawks are effectively out of the trade sweepstakes for Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb, adding that the team had reservations about how steep the price would be in trade and financial compensation.

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Report: Redskins not interested in releasing Haynesworth

The NFL lockout has slowed the Redskins from solving the curious case of Albert Haynesworth, but The Washington Post reported Thursday that coach Mike Shanahan isn't about to accept anything less than a second-round pick for the pricey defensive lineman. 

If the Redskins part ways with Haynesworth, they are determined to do so through a trade, according to the newspaper. Shanahan is not interested in cutting a player who's earned roughly $32 million from the Redskins over the past two seasons, only to see him sign with another team.

The Post reports that the Philadelphia Eagles have shown interest in Haynesworth, after they hired defensive line coach Jim Washburn, who coached Haynesworth during his stint with the Tennessee Titans.

Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett told 101 ESPN radio in St. Louis last month that Haynesworth "can do almost anything he wants. He doesn't want to do anything. To me that’s the issue.

"He’s one of those guys you walk in a meeting and you tell him, 'Put down the phone.' The next day you have to tell him to put down the phone. The next day, you tell him to put down the phone.

"You tell him, 'Don’t read the newspaper in meetings.' The next day you have to tell him the same thing. It doesn’t stick; it’s an everyday thing."

Haynesworth hasn't helped his case with the Redskins by fighting legal battles on multiple fronts this offseason.

In May, a judge dismissed a misdemeanor assault charge against Haynesworth after the player reached an agreement with the man who said he was the victim of a road-rage attack in February.

Haynesworth still faces a misdemeanor sexual abuse charge in the District of Columbia, where he is accused of groping a waitress at a hotel bar. He has pleaded not guilty.

A D.C. Superior Court agreed to delay the start of that trial to August 2, allowing defense witnesses to schedule appearances, The Washington Post reported Friday.

At one point last year Haynesworth was juggling as many as four court-related matters, including lawsuits from a bank, an exotic dancer, a man injured in an automobile accident and complaints from his ex-wife that he wasn't paying her health insurance or their children's bills.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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University of Pittsburgh interested in Bengals coach Lewis

Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is on the short list of candidates to take over the University of Pittsburgh's football program, a league source said Sunday.

Lewis was emotional following Sunday's 13-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis might not be back next season, although the University of Pittsburgh job could be an option. (Gail Burton/Associated Press)

"I can't answer where things are for me," Lewis said after the game. Responding to questions about his future with the team, Lewis said, "Officially, today I'm unemployed," ending with a laugh.

The Bengals' Twitter page followed Lewis' remarks with a post that read: "We need to talk and i need to sleep on it."

Lewis' contract with the Bengals expires after this season and might not be renewed. Cincinnati managed just four wins through 16 weeks and earlier this season tied a franchise record with 10 consecutive losses.

In eight seasons under Lewis the Bengals recorded a 60-67-1 record, posted just two winning seasons and lost in both of their playoff appearances.

Pittsburgh's vacancy appeared when the school fired head coach Mike Haywood on Saturday, saying he couldn't continue in the job he held for just 2½ weeks because of his arrest on a domestic-violence charge.

Haywood was released Saturday from St. Joseph County Jail in Indiana on $1,000 cash bond, said an officer at the jail who declined to give her name, after the charge was upgraded from a misdemeanor to felony domestic battery in the presence of a minor.

Within hours of Haywood's afternoon release, Pittsburgh put out a statement from Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg, saying the coach had been dismissed, "effective immediately," and the school was reopening its search.

Haywood was arrested about 3 p.m. Friday after a custody issue developed with a woman with whom the coach has a child, police said. The unidentified woman told police that Haywood grabbed her by the arm and neck and pushed her as she tried to leave the home that the coach owns in South Bend, Ind., where he once was a Notre Dame assistant.

Assistant St. Joseph County Police Chief Bill Redman said the woman had marks on her neck, arms and back.

Haywood's hiring by athletic director Steve Pederson was greeted unenthusiastically by fans, boosters, alumni and students who questioned why a school with annual Top 25 aspirations hired him away from mid-major Miami of Ohio. Dave Wannstedt, forced to resign last month following a disappointing 7-5 season, coached the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins before his 2004 hiring at Pittsburgh.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Rams not interested in trading for Chargers WR Jackson

Despite losing wide receiver Mark Clayton for the season with a knee injury, the St. Louis Rams aren't currently pursuing a trade for San Diego Chargers holdout Vincent Jackson, a league source told NFL.com's Steve Wyche on Tuesday.

Jackson, who still hasn't signed his tender, has been linked to possible trades to the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots.

The Rams, for one, plan to move in a different direction.

Clayton, who is scheduled for season-ending surgery on his right knee to repair a torn patellar tendon, was hurt early in Sunday's 44-6 loss to the Detroit Lions. He is the third Rams wide receiver to suffer a season-ending injury in 2010. Donnie Avery and Dominique Curry both suffered torn anterior cruciate ligaments.

With Clayton out, St. Louis' receiving corps was reduced to four players on the active roster -- Danny Amendola, Laurent Robinson, Brandon Gibson and rookie Mardy Gilyard -- with a combined 183 receptions and six touchdowns in 64 career NFL games.

Later Tuesday, the Rams promoted wide receiver Danario Alexander from the practice squad. Alexander was a star at the University of Missouri last season, but he wasn't drafted after undergoing a fourth operation on his left knee in February. When the Rams signed him in August, Alexander said he was still rehabilitating the knee.

Jackson is threatening to sit out the entire 2010 season with the Chargers. There is a possibility that he will sign his contract tender and report to the team by Week 10, because language in the current collective bargaining agreement could place him in the same situation next year.

Week 10 has meaning because being on a roster for at least six weeks virtually assures Jackson of an accrued season -- and unrestricted free agency or a franchise-type tag. That season gives him six in the NFL, and in any new CBA, players would need no more than that to earn unrestricted free agency.

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Jackson's current tender is around $600,000. He is seeking a long-term deal from the Chargers and an annual salary in the $8 million range.

In order for Jackson to be on the roster for six weeks, however, he must report before Week 8 (Oct. 31). That is because Jackson faces a three-game stint on the roster-exempt list whenever he does report, during which time he will not earn time toward an accrued season. He would be eligible to play and earn credit toward an accrued season beginning Week 12 at Indianapolis.

The Rams (2-3) host the San Diego Chargers (2-3) this weekend.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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