Chargers are behind again, but so is everyone else

Stumbling starts have been a hallmark of the San Diego Chargers in recent years, with the franchise usually — but not always — clawing its way out of a deep hole to reach the postseason.

With the first practice of training camp two days away, the Chargers again find themselves playing catch-up, thanks to a 4½-month lockout. Their only solace? So is every other NFL team.

“I’m not going to compare our situation to any of the other 31 teams, I’m going to compare our situation to where we’ve been in the past, and we are way behind,” Coach Norv Turner said Wednesday.

“Our young players, first- and second-year players, our rookies, are four months behind where they would normally be. We’ve got a lot of work to do in a short period of time.”

Before they pull out the playbooks, teams are producing the checkbooks, an essential in this wild flurry of free-agent shopping. Negotiations that in a typical off-season might drag on for weeks now last hours, at most.

“We make contact with agents and they say, ‘Thank you so much for calling, I’ve got 12 teams,’ ” Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith said. “And I’ll say, ‘Well, that’s great, but I’m concerned about our team, so let’s talk about us.’ Then it’s a matter of a time frame, and we have to make decisions in two or three hours, then move on.”

That’s happening all over the NFL this week, even though teams cannot officially sign any free agents (other than undrafted rookies) until 3 p.m. on Friday.

Therefore, even if someone agrees to join a team — as quarterback Matt Leinart did with Seattle on Tuesday before reversing his decision and staying with Houston — a deal isn’t a deal until there’s a signature on that dotted line.

With that in mind, several teams made splashy moves Wednesday. Among them:

The Minnesota Vikings acquired quarterback Donovan McNabb from the Washington Redskins in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick, a person with knowledge of the transaction confirmed to the Associated Press.

Wide receiver Sidney Rice agreed to a five-year deal with the Seahawks. It’s worth $41 million with $18.5 million guaranteed, including $3 million in Pro Bowl escalators, and could grow to a total of $41 million, according to the NFL Network.

Former Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is set to resurface in Tennessee, where he can ease the transition for another Pacific Northwest transplant, rookie Jake Locker from the University of Washington.

A cluster of highly coveted players are planning to stay put and re-sign with their teams: New York Jets receiver Santonio Holmes, Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams, Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor, San Diego safety Eric Weddle, and Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri.

Robert Gallery, the No. 2 overall pick of Oakland in the 2004 draft, plans to rejoin former Raiders coach Tom Cable, who now oversees the offensive line in Seattle.

With Carson Palmer out of the picture in Cincinnati, the Bengals plan to sign quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, someone who can hold down the job until rookie Andy Dalton is ready. The Bengals’ offensive coordinator is Jay Gruden, who used to coach Gradkowski in Tampa Bay.

Cleveland intends to cut quarterback Jake Delhomme Thursday when teams are allowed to release players. The Browns were 2-2 in games Delhomme started last season, and know they have an emerging standout in Colt McCoy.

Shortly after receiver Steve Breaston‘s agent said his client would not be rejoining Arizona, reports came that Breaston plans to sign with Kansas City. Chiefs Coach Todd Haley is Breaston’s former offensive coordinator with the Cardinals.

Multiple reports have Philadelphia’s Kevin Kolb going to Arizona by way of trade for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and another draft pick — or possibly staying with the Eagles as Michael Vick’s backup.

sam.farmer@latimes.com

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