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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After visiting former teams, Burress takes 1-year deal with Jets

Stuck in prison and his NFL career derailed, Plaxico Burress insisted he'd be back one day.

Rex Ryan and the New York Jets are giving him that second chance.

"I'm just grateful," a confident yet humble Burress said Sunday night. "I'm excited about the opportunity and I'm going to give them everything I've got because they put their trust in me to be able to come in and contribute and have an impact."

The one-year deal, reportedly worth $3.017 million fully guaranteed, is meant to match Burress' jersey number 17, Braylon Edwards' number the past two seasons, the New York Daily News reported.

The former Super Bowl star with the New York Giants signed a one-year deal with the Jets on Sunday after recently being released from prison, where he served 20 months on a gun charge. Burress, who turns 34 on Aug. 12, caught the game-winning touchdown in the Giants' upset of the unbeaten New England Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl, before his career derailed after he accidentally shot himself in a New York nightclub later that year.

Debate: Right move by Burress?

"When something's taken away from you that you love, you know you love it more," he said. "You learn that playing in this business is definitely a privilege. I definitely miss being away from the game and the guys and being able to compete every Sunday with the best athletes in the world."

Now, the Jets are hoping Burress can revive his career the way Michael Vick did with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Vick served 18 months in prison for his involvement in a dogfighting ring before returning to football in 2009. He was eased back into things by the Eagles before taking over as the starting quarterback last year and capping a terrific season by being selected as The AP's Comeback Player of the Year.

Burress has a chance to make even more of an immediate mark for the Jets. He'll join the recently re-signed Santonio Holmes as one of Mark Sanchez's top receivers.

"I've never played with a guy on the other side of me who was that explosive," Burress said of Holmes. "It's going to be fun. I think we're going to drive some defensive coordinators crazy -- which way they want to roll their coverage in certain situations, in the red zone, so it'll be interesting to see how teams match up against us."

Burress wrote on his Twitter page: "East Coast here I come!" Sanchez retweeted his new receiver and added: "Paperwork in hand??? Haha welcome to the squad."

Burress was at the airport in Los Angeles on his way to a meeting with the San Francisco 49ers, according to media reports, but canceled that trip when the Jets contacted him. He agreed to come back to New York, but in green and white this time, without even visiting with the Jets or speaking to Rex Ryan.

"There was no sales pitch needed," he said. "You just look at all the pieces that are in place. You get a chance to compete for a world championship every year, play for a great organization, play with a great quarterback. I get to play beside Santonio Holmes and a future Hall of Famer in LaDainian Tomlinson."

Burress also appreciated how owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum met with him in 2009, despite his legal situation being uncertain at the time.

"They were really the first team to support me with everything that I had going on at that time," he said, "and it just felt right for me to be able to come here with everything that I had going on a couple of years ago, to have those guys approach me in the way that they did I just felt I made the right decision."

A few hours after announcing the agreement, the Jets were accepting pre-orders for replica Burress jerseys for $80 on their website. Matt Higgins, the Jets' executive vice president of business operations, tweeted that Burress would be wearing No. 17.

Burress met with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he spent his first five seasons, on Saturday after sitting down with Giants coach Tom Coughlin on Friday.

"His decision was to go elsewhere," Coughlin said. "It sounded like a bigger guarantee. I don't know all of the facts about that. That's what happens in this business. His decision was made and, again, we wish he and his family well."

Burress said there was a sense of closure with that meeting, and it was good "to kind of turn the page."

Because of the NFL's post-lockout rules, Burress can't practice with the team until Thursday. But clearly, the Jets are confident -- sight unseen -- that he has a lot left as they try for a Super Bowl run even though he hasn't played in the NFL since 2008.

There will be plenty of questions: How soon can he be in football shape? Has he lost a significant amount of speed? Does he still have those sure hands? Can he handle the media spotlight of being back in New York?

"I feel I'm in great shape," he said, adding that he'll surely be a little rusty. "I think a lot of people are going to be surprised with my conditioning and different things I've been doing in South Florida to get myself back to where I want to be, and that's definitely to get back to playing at a high level real soon."

One thing the Jets know is that Burress gives Sanchez a big receiver -- he's 6-foot-5 -- who's a red-zone presence to complement Holmes, Jerricho Cotchery, Dustin Keller and a solid running game with Shonn Greene and Tomlinson.

Burress pleaded guilty in August 2009 to attempted criminal possession of a weapon after accidentally shooting himself in the thigh at a Manhattan nightclub in November 2008, accepting a two-year prison term. He was released about three months early for good behavior, but will be on parole for two years.

He was told to get and keep a job, undergo substance abuse testing, obey any curfew established by his Florida parole officer, support his family and undergo any anger counseling or other conditions required by his parole officer.

Burress has 505 catches for 7,845 yards and 55 touchdowns in his NFL career with the Steelers and Giants.

The move softens the blow for the Jets after losing out on cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who was New York's top priority after re-signing Holmes. But Asomugha surprisingly signed with Philadelphia, and the Jets were forced to turn their attention elsewhere.

Burress' career with the Giants was filled with terrific moments along with troubles -- missed meetings, a one-game suspension, a contract dispute. Then came the incident that changed his life.

He was released in April 2009, a few months before beginning his prison sentence. Now he's free and motivated to show he can still be a productive playmaker, and the Jets are willing to let Burress prove it while they go for a Super Bowl of their own.

"I've been around for a little while now and I'll just sit down with the coaches, sit down with the quarterback," Burress said, "and just learn the formations and where I need to be at. I don't think it's going to take me that long at all."

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Teams learn of new regulations tied to owner-approved CBA

As the NFL waits for its players to ratify or reject a new collective bargaining agreement that owners have approved, league and team officials moved forward with getting football back to business -- even though they don't know when business will be open.

More than 100 league and team executives, nearly all general managers and salary-cap aficionados met Friday in Atlanta for a four-hour tutorial from the NFL's management council on everything ranging from new salary-cap rules to free agency to the signing of players. Also, rules regarding reduced practice time and fully padded practices were explained.

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Team officials will be on the spot once a new league year begins because of the condensed time frame in which they'll have to sign free agents, make trades, cut players, sign rookies -- and open training camps.

Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said "there will be a lot of sleepless nights."

When those will come is the question.

"The nature of our business is there's always surprises, and you have to be flexible," Hurney said. "I think that applies right now more than any."

One football operations person quipped, "We feel like we're being held hostage" by the fact that there's no jointly ratified CBA.

Said John Elway, the Denver Broncos' executive vice president of football operations: "We were told that the lockout was still in place. We're just waiting."

Players want loose ends settled before they ratify a labor deal and trigger the start of the NFL business year. However, both parties have agreed upon operational rules -- including a rookie wage scale -- so no changes are expected in this realm of negotiated terms between owners and players.

Minimum salaries for first-year players will be $375,000 (about $30,000 more than what some teams expected), and minimum salaries for players with 10-plus years of experience will be $910,000, league and player sources told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora.

Also, team officials were advised that there will be additional forfeiture language in contracts that will allow teams to recoup signing bonuses based on player conduct.

Some team officials had questions as to just how close to slotting the new rookie wage system would be. But after receiving a primer on the rookie pool, two team executives came away believing there will be considerable room for negotiation with draft picks.

According to how the NFL Players Association explained the rookie pool to player representatives in Washington this week, they estimate No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Newton to end up with $22 million over the first four years of his deal with the Panthers, with a $14.3 million option for the fifth year. First-round picks will be signed to four-year deals with an option for the fifth year that would equal the average of the top five salaries at a given position.

The NFLPA's figures obviously are an estimate based on how the Panthers will allocate their rookie pool and what the average of the top-five quarterback salaries will be in Newton's fifth year, when the team option exists.

So the NFLPA's total projection for Newton is $36.3 million over five years. To compare, St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, last year's top pick, could receive a max of $78 million over six years, with $50 million guaranteed.

According to those who were present at the management council meeting, new regulations on offseason and regular-season practices were outlined Friday, La Canfora reported.

Offseason workouts will be limited to nine weeks, with two weeks of strength and conditioning, three weeks of instruction with no offense-versus-defense drills and four weeks of organized team activities -- a maximum of three in the first two weeks and maximum of four in the last two weeks.

In the preseason, veterans can report no earlier than 15 days before their team's first game. A first day is limited to physicals and meetings, and no pads or contact are allowed in the second and third day of camp. As has been outlined elsewhere, there will be only one padded practice per day. Including walkthroughs, players cannot be on the field more than four hours per day.

During the regular season, there can be just 14 padded practices for the entirety of the season, 11 of those sessions must be held in the first 11 weeks, and teams can hold no more than two padded practices per week. One padded practice per week is allowed during the playoffs, and all padded practices are limited to three hours max. Also, a bye week must include at least four consecutive days off, including Saturday.

However, the NFL advised team executives Friday that there are lingering issues with the use of shells in practices, including whether or not that constitutes a "padded practice" or not.

"If shells do count as a padded practice," one executive in attendance said, "then I think our coaches would revolt."

Up to four members of each team were invited to attend the seminar, and each team had multiple representatives in Atlanta. Cincinnati Bengals owner/GM Mike Brown was the only owner in attendance. The New York Jets' Mike Tannenbaum, St. Louis Rams' Billy Devaney, Kansas City Chiefs' Scott Pioli, Detroit Lions' Martin Mayhew, New York Giants' Jerry Reese and Atlanta Falcons' Thomas Dimitroff were among the personnel executives there.

One GM speculated that more than 1,000 transactions will take place in rapid time, as hundreds of undrafted and drafted rookies must be signed and more than 400 unrestricted free agents will broker deals, many with new teams. With training-camp rosters expanded from 80 to 90 players, teams will need to acquire more bodies.

Several GMs and coaches said they're very eager to get players with team medical and training staffs so they can gauge fitness and determine if injured players properly rehabilitated injuries and/or if any of them were hurt or developed any medical conditions during the lockout.

Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian said Thursday that he's anxious to see the medical records of quarterback Peyton Manning, who had neck surgery during the lockout and might not be ready to participate in the early stages of training camp.

"We haven't seen him and we haven't seen the medical records," Polian said. "We need to get that information as quickly as we can. As soon as that can begin, that's a good thing. We'll be looking forward to it. Obviously, as soon as our doctors can get their hands on him, that's a good thing, too. Hopefully, it's sooner rather than later on that."

NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Buyer beware: Sapp warns teams about free-agent safety Huff

Michael Huff will become an unrestricted free agent once the NFL lockout is lifted, but former Oakland Raiders teammate Warren Sapp believes interested teams should think long and hard before signing the safety.

Sapp, now an NFL Network analyst, didn't hold back Tuesday when asked on a Dallas radio show if the Cowboys should court Huff, who played high football in the area and at the University of Texas.

"Michael Huff leaves something to be desired," Sapp said on KESN-FM's "Ben and Skin Show," via The Dallas Morning News. "I watched Huff for two years not pick a pass off in practice. I seen him make a couple plays lately. I'd really be interested to see his tape and watch his last couple of years because his first two make you want to throw up watching him practice.”

Huff was the seventh overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, but Sapp painted the picture of an entitled young player who didn't exert the proper effort to reach his full potential.

"I went so far with Michael Huff, and you can ask him this, that my last day in Oakland, I waited in the parking lot for Michael Huff," said Sapp, who played for the Raiders from 2004 to 2007. "I waited in the parking lot because I wanted to talk to the young man because he made me want to throw up watching him practice. I mean, the scout team would complete ball, after ball, after ball. I'm like, 'You're not going to make one play? I mean, you're not even going to put your hand on it and knock it down?' "

Despite his perceived shortcomings, Huff was named to The Associated Press' All-Pro second team last season. He finished with a career-high 94 tackles, two forced fumbles, seven passes defensed and three interceptions. The 28-year-old has never missed a game in his NFL career.

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Deadline looms for safety-needy teams to claim Lewis

Safety Michael Lewis, who was released by the San Francisco 49ers on Monday after asking to be let go following his demotion from the starting lineup, remains on waivers until late Tuesday afternoon.

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It isn't known if any claims have been put in, but several teams are in need of safety help after a rash of injuries last weekend.

If claimed, a team would have to pick up the remainder of Lewis's $1.7 million contract.

Lewis, who started San Francisco's first three games, left the team Friday after rookie Taylor Mays was promoted into the starting lineup at Lewis' expense.

Lewis, 30, has started all 50 games in which he has appeared with the 49ers. He took a pay cut to remain with San Francisco for a fourth season. He played his first five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Special teams coach Bonamego fired by 'Fins after meltdown

DAVIE, Fla. -- A prime-time meltdown by the Miami Dolphins' special teams cost an assistant coach his job.

Just 12 hours after a calamitous performance against the New England Patriots, the Dolphins fired special teams coordinator John Bonamego on Tuesday.

Special teams cost Miami 21 points in a 41-14 loss Monday night. Two blocked kicks led to touchdowns, and the Patriots returned a kickoff 103 yards for another score.

The Dolphins (2-2) also had a punt blocked one week earlier in a loss to the New York Jets. The back-to-back divisional defeats dropped Miami to third place in the AFC East.

Assistant special teams coach Darren Rizzi will replace Bonamego, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. Bonamego was in his 12th NFL season and had been with the Dolphins since Sparano became head coach in 2008.

"It's a hard decision to make," Sparano said. "I know how hard this guy works. Nobody works harder than him at what he does."

Unlike Bonamego, quarterback Chad Henne won't lose his job. Sparano said he'll stick with Henne despite an erratic three-interception performance that accelerated the Dolphins' self-destruction.

While the turnovers hurt, the lapses by Bonamego's units doomed the Dolphins. The Patriots trailed 7-6 before Brandon Tate returned the second-half kickoff untouched for a score. Pat Chung blocked a punt to set up a touchdown, then blocked a field-goal attempt that Kyle Arrington returned 35 yards for a TD and a 34-14 New England lead early in the fourth quarter.

"We shot ourselves in the foot," Miami cornerback Jason Allen said. "You can't expect to win when you're playing a team like -- actually, any team. I don't care who you're playing, when we do the things we did."

Linebacker Tim Dobbins plays on special teams and said he was embarrassed.

"We all should be," he said. "We let the whole team down."

Patriots coach Bill Belichick didn't seem surprised to hear of Bonamego's firing.

"I don't think probably much of anything that happens in the league these days is a surprise or unheard of," Belichick said. "It's unfortunate. ... I'm sure those decisions aren't easy."

The Dolphins rank last in the NFL in punting, last in kickoff coverage and 25th in kickoff returns. Continual turnover at the bottom of the roster might contribute to the Dolphins' special teams woes -- in the past month, they have made 19 roster moves.

"That's part of the special teams challenge, when you bring new players in and you get them involved," Sparano said.

The succession of breakdowns against New England resulted in Miami's most lopsided defeat since 2007, when the team went 1-15. The Dolphins lost even though they outgained the Patriots by 135 yards, limited them to 146 passing yards and held Randy Moss without a catch.

The Dolphins have a bye this week, then resume a rugged stretch in the schedule. Their next six opponents are a combined 16-8.

Sparano said he expects the Dolphins to bounce back from the drubbing. Belichick does, too.

"Miami is a good team," Belichick said. "I am sure we haven't heard the last of them."

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But the Dolphins need to quickly figure out how to block for kicks and cover them better. That responsibility now rests with Rizzi, a former college head coach at New Haven who took his first NFL job when Sparano hired him last year.

"He's very smart guy who has his own way of doing things," Sparano said. "He'll have his own spin on the special teams area. It's important that we have some continuity there and fix the problems."

The fix might mean more players in the offensive and defensive rotations contributing. Defensive regulars Dobbins, Cameron Wake and Chris Clemons already have roles on kicking units.

"I want my core players to play better on special teams," Sparano said. "If we need to put some starters out there, then we will."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Orton, special teams rally Broncos past Titans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Kyle Orton threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Correll Buckhalter with 1:33 left, and the Denver Broncos rallied to beat the Tennessee Titans 26-20 on Sunday.

The Broncos (2-2) clinched the victory when they kicked short on the ensuing kickoff, trying to avoid rookie Marc Mariani, who already had a 98-yard return for a touchdown. The Titans (2-2) let the ball bounce, and Mariani tried to jump up and catch it, only to be hit by David Bruton.

Cassius Vaughn recovered the loose ball, and Matt Prater kicked his fourth field goal to pad the lead.

Tennessee had one last chance with 33 seconds left, but Vince Young's third incompletion fell to the turf as time expired to overshadow a game in which the Titans had a season-high six sacks and an interception.

Orton finished with 341 passing yards and two touchdowns as Denver held the ball more than 35 minutes.

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