Lofton to Become a Raider--Again : Pro football: He agrees to two-year, $1.8-million deal to rejoin team. Rams also were interested in receiver.

The Raiders reacquired veteran receiver James Lofton on Friday.

Lofton, an unrestricted free agent from the Buffalo Bills, has agreed to a two-year, $1.8-million contract. The deal is expected to be made official Monday.

“I’m going to make an announcement on Monday on what I’m going to do,” Lofton said. But then he added, “I’m committed to the Raiders.”

Lofton, 36, spent the last four years with the Bills after playing for the Raiders in 1987 and ’88 and for the Green Bay Packers the nine seasons before that.

Lofton, whose home is in Los Angeles, appeared to be headed a little farther south earlier Friday. He had agreed to try out with the Rams.

But by the time the sun had set, the Rams had lost another player to the Raiders. At the beginning of the free agency period in March, offensive tackle Gerald Perry jumped from the Rams to the Raiders.

“He wanted to know what we wanted to do,” Ram official Jack Faulkner said of Lofton. “We told him we wanted to take a look at him. I think I talked to him five times during the day (Friday) and then he tells me he’s taking the deal with the Raiders.”

Lofton, who serves as his own agent, is comfortable with his decision.

“I just decided the Raiders were the team I wanted to play for,” he said. “The Rams treated me very well in the conversations we had, but it was just a matter of where I felt at home.”

At first glance, a wide receiver would appear to be the last item on a Raider shopping list. They already have Tim Brown, Willie Gault, Sam Graddy, Alexander Wright, Mervyn Fernandez and, perhaps, Raghib (Rocket) Ismail.

But the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Fernandez does not figure to fit into the Raiders’ plans. And at 6-3 and 190 pounds, Lofton will fill the role of a big receiver.

Lofton said he is not concerned about how much playing time he will get in the crowded Raider receiving corps.

“I just want to be able to contribute,” he said. “I’m not concerned about playing time.”

Lofton caught 51 passes for 786 yards and six touchdowns last season for the Bills.

In his two previous seasons with the Raiders, Lofton caught a total of 69 passes for 1,429 yards and five touchdowns.

“This doesn’t totally surprise me,” he said. “You see that a lot now in baseball with players going from team to team and sometimes back to the team they played for previously. Now, it’s going to happen in football with free agency.”

Times staff writer T.J. Simers contributed to this story.