Charger Notebook : O’Neal Wants Four-Year Contract

There may be only one year’s difference between the four-year contract that Leslie O’Neal wants and the five-year contract that the San Diego Chargers want him to have, but it’s keeping the two sides light years apart.

Marvin Demoff, the agent for the first-round draft choice, said earlier this week that O’Neal is seeking a four-year contract. The Chargers won’t budge from five years.

“Since I’ve owned the San Diego Chargers, all of my first-round picks have signed for five years,” owner Alex Spanos said Wednesday. “I don’t expect to change that at all. I’m very adamant about the five years.”

James FitzPatrick, also a first-round pick this year, was signed to a five-year contract for $1.85-million. Jim Lachey, last year’s first-round pick, signed a five-year contract for $2 million.

General Manager Johnny Sanders said he talked briefly Tuesday with Demoff. According to Sanders, Demoff then flew to Seattle to take care of another client.

“If he wants to get his player in a National Football League camp, namely the San Diego Chargers, he better get back to me,” Sanders said. “He (O’Neal) is missing valuable time. Pretty soon, the kid’s going to wonder why he’s not in camp. Then, things will happen. We’re hanging tough.”

The day after the USFL was awarded $3 in its lawsuit against the NFL, Spanos said he thought only about four USFL franchises could afford to field teams this year.

“My opinion is that I don’t see how they can play,” Spanos said. “Their lawsuit was based on that they could win and merge. They lost. I have to assume they lost everything.”

Should the USFL fold, the Chargers have NFL negotiating rights to three current USFL players: wide receivers Scott Fitzkee and Clarence Collins and quarterback Ed Luther.

“We’re only interested right now in anyone on defense, particularly linebackers,” Spanos said. “But we’ll look at anyone.”

There comes a time in every training camp when players want to start running into somebody other than teammates.

The Chargers will receive that opportunity again when they have a full-scale scrimmage against the Rams at 7 tonight at Anaheim Stadium.

Coach Don Coryell said there will be seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills. Coryell expects the workout to last longer than two hours.

Dan Fouts, who did not participate in last week’s scrimmage against the Rams, is expected to play in the seven-on-seven, Coryell said. Fouts won’t play in the 11-on-11, nor will several other starters.

“We’ll hold out a few of our skilled people,” Coryell said. “We’ll look at other skilled people and give them an opportunity to show something. We won’t go with our starters unless we have injuries and need them to keep things going. Defensively, we might hold out a few people, but I doubt it.”

Defensive end Earl Wilson was fined $200 Wednesday when he weighed in at 283 pounds, raising his total fines to $1,200. Wilson is being fined $25 per day for every pound he is above 275.

“You can tell there’s a difference in him,” defensive line coach Gunther Cunningham said. “When you’re heavy and out of shape, it’s hard to concentrate. He’s firming up his body and is concentrating better.”

The Chargers waived defensive back Juan Johnson on Wednesday.