McMahon, Chargers Part Ways : NFL: Team chooses to go with quarterbacks it has rather than risk a lengthy, distracting contract dispute. McCallum is traded back to Raiders.

Ending what sometimes seemed to be a hate-hate relationship with San Diego, quarterback Jim McMahon was released by the Chargers Thursday after a controversial eight-month stay.

General Manager Bobby Beathard said the Chargers and Steve Zucker, McMahon’s agent, were unable to come to a contract agreement after a February meeting in Chicago and several follow-up discussions.

“After looking at the overall situation,” Beathard said, “and after talking to them, both sides agreed that the best thing to do was set him free.”

McMahon’s exit preceded the afternoon announcement that the Chargers had sent running back Napolean McCallum back to the Raiders for an undisclosed draft choice.

McCallum, originally a fourth-round selection of the Raiders in 1986--the only year he has played in the NFL--was a two-time All-American at the U.S. Naval Academy. He was acquired by the Chargers as part of the 1988 trade that sent offensive lineman Jim Lachey to the Raiders, but he struggled in training camp last season after being cleared by the Navy to moonlight as a pro football player. After three preseason games in which he saw little action, he was placed on the “reserve/military” list for the season.

Zucker confirmed from his offices in Chicago that McMahon had been seeking more than the $800,000 he received last year, but he would not disclose figures. He said the Chargers and McMahon were “on two different wavelengths. We were far apart.”

Said Beathard: “The night we met in Chicago (in February), he gave me an idea of what they were thinking, and I gave him an idea of what we were thinking. He wasn’t too excited, and I wasn’t too excited.

“We had a feeling there wasn’t going to be an easy solution to the contract. They were thinking something much different then we were.”

Coach Dan Henning said the Chargers, fresh off a year-long contract disagreement with running back Gary Anderson--he held out for the 1989 season and was dealt to Tampa Bay last week--were concerned that McMahon’s unsettled situation might disrupt the organization.

“We’re not interested in another drawn-out contract dispute as we had last year with Gary Anderson,” Henning said. “It’s apparent that Jim’s contract situation could become a distraction.”

Said Beathard: “It might have been a distraction with salary negotiations going on. This frees us from any distraction.”

Although both sides agreed to the breakup, Beathard said it was the Chargers who first approached McMahon and Zucker.

“Henning called Jim and Ted (Tollner, quarterback coach), then I called Zucker, to tell them what we were thinking,” he said.

McMahon, who led Chicago to a Super Bowl championship at the end of 1985 season, was acquired by the Chargers last August for a second-round draft pick. His contract, which made him the highest-paid Charger, expired Feb. 1.

McMahon was 4-7 as a starter before being replaced by rookie Billy Joe Tolliver for the final four games. McMahon completed 176 of 318 passes for 2,132 yards, with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Tollner noted that those numbers, while not impressive when compared with those of the NFL’s top quarterbacks, were statistically close to those he put up in happier days with the Bears. In his Super Bowl season, McMahon was 178 for 313 for 2,392 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

“Ironically, they’re somewhat comparable,” Tollner said. “But at that time, he had a tremendous defense and a good supporting cast at offense.”

Beathard said McMahon had another quality.

“He had something that made teams rise to another level,” he said. “That’s the one thing he’s been able to do in his career.”

But the Chargers chose youth and exuberance over McMahon’s intangibles, age and experience.

“We were looking more at Billy Joe,” Beathard said. “We wanted to give him the chance to be the guy.”

Tollner said the security that a winning, veteran quarterback brings to an organization can be replaced.

“There’s a certain amount of excitement with the young guys battling,” Tollner said. “What you loose in the experience of a veteran you gain in the exuberance of youth.”

With McMahon gone, the Chargers have three returning quarterbacks: Tolliver, seven-year veteran David Archer, who is unsigned, and fourth-year player Mark Vlasic. A fourth, the University of Idaho’s John Friesz, was acquired with a sixth-round pick in the 1990 NFL draft.

Beathard said there is no correlation between the Chargers’ willingness to release McMahon and the acquisition of Friesz.

“That had nothing to do with it,” he said. “You don’t plan on a rookie coming in and taking a veteran’s place.”

Tolliver, the rookie who did just that, said he was surprised by McMahon’s departure.

“I didn’t think they’d make a move like that after they protected him (under Plan B free agency),” Tolliver said. “But it’s not my place to second guess the administration. My job is to go out and do my best against whoever’s out there. I’m still in the hunt for a starting position, along with three others.”

Beathard said the Chargers may look for another veteran quarterback but that they had decided, before releasing McMahon, that they were ready to start training camp with the players they had.

“We’ll look for one,” he said, “but I don’t know if there’s one available.”

Zucker said he has yet to field any offers from NFL teams for McMahon, who will turn 30 in August.

“We’ll just have to wait and see who contacts him, but he has a very short list of teams he wants to play for.”

Zucker would not say who was on it.

Tollner and Beathard said McMahon can still find a place to play in the NFL.

“I think he’ll be in the league next season,” Beathard said. “He has some football left in him.”

Said Tollner: “If the conditions are right, he has enough ability to start somewhere and play winning football.”

Beathard said image also played a role in the decision. “A lot of things go into the equation,” he said.

After being presented at the time of the Aug. 19 trade as a leader who might turn the Chargers into an immediate winner--he was 35-3 as a starter in his last five regular seasons with the Bears--McMahon quickly developed an uneasy relationship with the San Diego media and fans. He once blew his nose in the direction of a reporter from a San Diego newspaper, and during the final regular season game against Denver in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, he was booed each time his name was announced.

Zucker blamed McMahon’s image problems on geographics.

“I just think San Diego and Chicago are two different football towns,” Zucker said.

Although the Chargers protected McMahon under Plan B, Beathard said it wasn’t a ringing endorsement.

“It was no big decision to protect him,” Beathard said. “It’s something we felt we had to do at the time. There wasn’t someone else out there.”