Jackson Joins Dolphins, Veris Becomes 49er : Pro football: They take advantage of court-ordered free agency to change teams for lucrative contracts.

Keith Jackson and Garin Veris, two of the four former holdouts who were given free agency by a federal court, took advantage of their freedom on Monday to change teams.

Jackson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection at tight end for Philadelphia, agreed to a four-year deal with Miami. The Dolphins said he would arrive today to sign the contract and hold a news conference.

Veris, a former New England defensive end, signed a two-year pact with the San Francisco 49ers.

Jackson, who made $300,000 in 1991 and reportedly was seeking $1.5 million per season, said Miami’s offer “blew Philadelphia’s out of the water by a lot. Philadelphia’s bid was not very competitive.”

He also said his decision “had a lot to do with the offense. I’m going to leave a great quarterback, but I’m going to a team with another great quarterback. I think I can fit in a lot better in Miami.”

He said he can contribute quickly.

“Hopefully, I’ll be in uniform this weekend,” he said. “I’m going down to meet with the coaches and try to learn the offensive scheme. Last year, about four games in, Roy Green came to us and had a big game. I hope I can do the same.”

Harry Gamble, the Eagles’ president, said he was disappointed Jackson decided to leave.

“Keith is certainly a very talented player, and in this business, you never like to lose talented players,” he said in a statement. “At the same time, however, I feel very comfortable in saying that the Philadelphia Eagles made an extremely attractive contract offer to Keith. Apparently, Keith has made what he considers to be a decision that is in his best interest.”

Dallas and Detroit had expressed interest in Jackson and the Washington Redskins had pulled out of the bidding.

U.S. District Judge David Doty’s ruling in Minneapolis that gave the four players their freedom had come in the aftermath of a federal court striking down the NFL’s Plan B system.

Jackson went to court last week, along with Veris, wide receiver Webster Slaughter and running back D.J. Dozier. Doty declared them unrestricted free agents and barred interference from their former teams, which had claimed exclusive negotiating rights with the four, even though their contracts had lapsed.

“It was just about what I considered a basic freedom,” Veris said. “I just felt they (the Patriots) had a grasp on me, and that I couldn’t go anywhere. The court was the only way I could win my free agency.

“It’s about time more players have that opportunity.”

Carmen Policy, the 49ers’ president, said he didn’t necessarily see the signing of Veris as a harbinger of true free agency.

“We view Garin’s situation as unique,” he said. “It was a window of opportunity for both of us and we took advantage of it. From a legal standpoint, we don’t see the Keith Jackson situation as being (a precedent) as far as anything that’s going to happen in the future.”

Veris’ agent, Ray Anderson, said Green Bay, Cleveland, and Buffalo also had expressed interest, but that his client didn’t pursue those possibilities because he wanted to play for a team close to his home in Menlo Park, Calif.

“Those clubs, frankly, didn’t have an opportunity to present an offer because we didn’t give them one,” Anderson said. “Garin wasn’t driven by the dollar . . . and it wasn’t fair to anyone to string out the process. Freedom of choice is about freedom of choice, and Garin had a chance to say, ‘I want to go here, and if I get what I want, then I’m free not to choose to talk to anyone else.’ That’s the decision we made.”

Veris will receive a pro-rated salary of $650,000 for this season and $730,000 in the second year, plus incentives. Patriot spokesman Pat Hanlon said the team’s last offer was a 1992 base salary of $575,000, with incentives pushing that potentially as high as $650,000, and a 1993 base salary of $625,000.

Slaughter and Dozier were still trying to hook on with teams. Slaughter had been with the Cleveland Browns and Dozier with the Detroit Lions, although he is playing baseball for the New York Mets.