Ismail Visits Raiders, Said Close to Signing

The long-awaited NFL debut of Raghib (Rocket) Ismail appeared that much closer Tuesday when the former Notre Dame standout visited the Raiders’ practice facility in El Segundo.

Ismail, drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round in 1991, worked out for nearly an hour for Raider owner Al Davis and the team’s coaching staff.

“It’s pretty cool here,” said Ismail, a wide receiver-kick returner who played the last two seasons with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. “I was kind of nervous, my first time anywhere as far as the NFL is concerned. I was worried about how I was going to be perceived. I really feel good. I know a couple of the players here.”

Bob Woolf, Ismail’s agent, hopes to reach an agreement with the Raiders this week. Woolf told The Times two weeks ago that the Raiders had made a multiyear offer that would pay Ismail more than $1 million per season.

“The length hasn’t been agreed upon,” said Woolf, who met with Raider officials for about 90 minutes. “Neither has the money. It certainly would have to be in seven figures a year. We’re looking for fair market value.”

“To me, he looked just like he was supposed to,” said Steve Ortmayer, the Raiders’ director of football operations. “He’s fun, he can play. He’s got a lot of personality.”

Ismail, 23, is a free agent by CFL standards. His two-year player’s contract, which paid him about $115,000 per year in U.S. currency and was separate from the personal-services deal he signed with Argonaut and King owner Bruce McNall, expired Feb. 15.

“We don’t have any further obligations to the Argonauts,” Woolf said. “I would imagine an arbitrator will decide what moneys are due on the old contract. That has nothing to do with this. That’s a separate issue.”

Woolf has said that Ismail is still owed about $9 million by the Argonauts and is expected to ask McNall to make up the difference after a deal with the Raiders is negotiated. McNall is not expected to agree to that.

Raider Notes

Also in camp Tuesday was former Green Bay Packer quarterback Don Majkowski, who became a free agent Feb. 1. Majkowski, Green Bay’s starter for three years, had surgery on his throwing shoulder in January, for the second time in the last two years. He started three games for the Packers last season before losing his starting job to Brett Favre. If the Raiders sign Majkowski, they will have four quarterbacks under contract heading into training camp, which opens in Oxnard on July 13. Majkowski would join Todd Marinovich, Vince Evans and Jeff Hostetler, the former New York Giant who was acquired as a free agent.