White Picks Packers; 49ers Get McDonald : Pro football: Gerald Robinson is re-signed by the Rams. The Lions sign Fralic, Richards.

After nearly six weeks of touring the NFL, all-pro free agents Reggie White and Tim McDonald have finally made their decisions.

White, a seven-time all-pro defensive end with the Philadelphia Eagles, signed with the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday for $17 million over four years, while McDonald, a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Phoenix Cardinals, has agreed to terms with the San Francisco 49ers.

White, who underwent a physical with Green Bay Tuesday and will sign his contract today in his native Tennessee, decided on the Packers over the 49ers and Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys, both of which had financial limitations, and the Washington Redskins, who had a $19.5-million, five-year deal on the table.

“I was up and down,” White said. “I thought I had a decision made. I changed, and I changed it again. I had to have some peace of mind. That’s what I was looking for. . . . I think every team is shocked, but I made the decision.”

McDonald, a plaintiff along with White in the Freeman McNeil lawsuit that won the new free-agency system for NFL players, will become the highest-paid defensive back in league history with a reported five-year deal for $12.5 million.

While White had narrowed his choices to the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco, McDonald cut his to the Kansas City Chiefs, Eagles and Phoenix before going with San Francisco’s winning tradition over the money offered by the Cardinals.

“It ended up being a question to whether take the guaranteed money or go to a place that has better odds to win,” said McDonald, who was an All-American at USC. “You can’t go wrong with either choice.”

What influenced White was Packer Coach Mike Holmgren and the Packers’ commitment to improve during the off-season.

“In the end, it came down to him wanting to play somewhere where he knew he would finish his career,” said Jimmy Sexton, White’s agent. “It was the best choice for him with money and they did an incredible job impressing him. It was hard, really hard. He was impressed with the field, he was impressed with the new indoor (practice) facility.”

For McDonald, signing with 49ers will bring him closer to his hometown of Fresno, which was a major factor.

“White and McDonald were clearly the two superstar free agents available, who could sign with any team,” said McDonald’s lawyer, Leigh Steinberg. “Especially in Tim’s case, because he’s a hot young player in his prime.

“Making a decision to get the most money the quickest would have been easy. But that is not always the case because you have to consider playing for a winning team and the only thing Tim is lacking in his life is being a professional winner.”

The Cardinals were 32-63 in McDonald’s six seasons.

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After recently signing right defensive end Fred Stokes to a $3.75-million, three-year contract, the Rams re-signed Gerald Robinson, the team’s starting left defensive end, to a three-year, $3-million contract.

The signing of Robinson, who earned $325,000 last season, will probably dampen the Rams’ interest in Minnesota’s Al Noga.

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Detroit signed free-agent offensive guards Bill Fralic of Atlanta and Dave Richards of San Diego. The Lions also signed strong safety William White. . . . Chicago signed defensive tackle Steve McMichael to a two-year contract.

Times staff writers Lonnie White and T.J. Simers contributed to this story.