Dickerson, Walker to Raiders? : Pro football: Agents for the running backs have contacted the team about possible trades, sources say.

Eric Dickerson and Herschel Walker, two former standout NFL running backs who have lost their direction, are seeking final refuge with the Raiders.

Agents for Dickerson, of the Indianapolis Colts, and Walker, of the Minnesota Vikings, have contacted the Raiders about possibly working out a trade, sources confirmed.

The Vikings have contacted the Raiders directly about a possible trade involving Walker.

ESPN reported Friday that the Raiders and Colts are close to working out a deal that would return Dickerson to Los Angeles. Dickerson spent his most productive seasons with the Rams from 1983 to 1987.

Colt General Manager Jim Irsay, however, denied Friday that he is trying to trade the disgruntled back.

“Ted (coach Marchibroda) and Eric are going to get together at minicamp (in May) and get ready to go forward in ‘92,” Irsay told reporters Friday at a pre-draft luncheon. “I don’t know where that rumor came from.”

Dickerson has three years remaining on a contract that will pay him $2.2 million next season, $3.1 million in ’93 and $3.3 million in ’94.

Steve Ortmayer, the Raiders’ director of operations, said Friday that the team is considering several options as Sunday’s NFL draft approaches.

“Calls will be made the rest of day today, tomorrow morning, tomorrow afternoon,” Ortmayer said. “There are a lot of players being talked about at this point in time, and there’s going to be more. And you have to put all the pieces together in conjunction with what you do in the draft.”

Because of their large salaries and decreased production in recent years, few teams have expressed interest in Dickerson and Walker.

Walker earned $1.75 million last season, and it is presumed he would be required to take a pay cut should he join the Raiders.

According to ESPN, Dickerson is willing to take a pay cut to ease a trade to the Raiders, who train down the coast from his Malibu home. According to the report, Dickerson has agreed to a salary of $1.5 million next season, plus an incentives package, while Raiders’ owner Al Davis is offering $1.2 million.

It was also reported that the Colts want a third-round draft choice for Dickerson, while the Raiders are offering a fourth.

Dickerson and Walker were involved in the two biggest transactions of the 1980s, deals that ultimately backfired for the recipient teams.

In 1987, after a bitter contract dispute, the Rams traded Dickerson to the Colts as part of a three-team deal in exchange for three first-round choices, three seconds and tailback Greg Bell.

In 1989, Walker was traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Vikings in exchange for five players and eight draft choices, three of which were first-round picks.

Dickerson gained more than 1,000 yards rushing in 1988 and ‘89, but was suspended five games for disciplinary reasons in 1990 and has pretty much been a front-office headache ever since.

Last season, hampered by injuries, Dickerson rushed for a career-low 536 yards in 167 carries. He will turn 32 in September.

Marv Demoff, who represents Dickerson, is in Indianapolis this weekend negotiating on behalf of Washington defensive tackle Steve Emtman, who is expected to be the first pick in Sunday’s NFL draft.

Demoff is also reportedly negotiating on behalf of Dickerson.

Dickerson ranks third in NFL history with 12,439 rushing yards, trailing only Walter Payton (16,726) and Tony Dorsett (12,739).

In 1984, while with the Rams, he set the NFL single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards in 16 games.

Walker, 30, has never fit comfortably into the Vikings’ offense. Last season, he rushed for 825 yards in 198 carries. At the time he made the trade, then-Viking General Manager Mike Lynn said that the deal would be a success if Walker led the team to a Super Bowl.

With Walker, the Vikings have not come close.