Tampa Bay Waives Leaf

Ryan Leaf’s short stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is over.

Unable to beat out Joe Hamilton for the third-string quarterback job in training camp, Leaf was released Monday when the Bucs claimed receiver Milton Wynn off waivers from the St. Louis Rams.

The move came a day after Coach Tony Dungy kept four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, despite the club’s lack of depth at several other positions.

“Ryan came out of training camp as our fourth quarterback,” General Manager Rich McKay said in a statement. “It was our hope that we could find a way to keep all four quarterbacks from a roster and contract standpoint; however we were unable to do so.”

Leaf, the second pick in the 1998 draft behind Peyton Manning, was waived by the San Diego Chargers in March. The Bucs claimed him, stressing at the time that he was not viewed as an answer to their then-unstable quarterback situation.

Free agent Brad Johnson signed a five-year, $28 million contract with Tampa Bay four days later, pushing Shaun King into a backup role.

Hamilton outplayed Leaf for the third-string job during the preseason, but Dungy said Sunday that he had decided to keep four quarterbacks because it was deemed the best thing to do for the “long run.”

Meanwhile, the Rams solidified their backup quarterback position when they picked up Jamie Martin, who was cut a day earlier by Jacksonville, while veteran Bubby Brister lost his job with Kansas City and last year’s Heisman Trophy-winner, Chris Weinke, officially got Carolina’s starting job.

The Rams traded Joe Germaine to Kansas City for a sixth-round draft choice. That, in turn, led to the Chiefs releasing Brister, who at 39 had been the oldest active quarterback in the NFL.

In Charlotte, Coach George Seifert confirmed Weinke will open for Carolina in Minnesota on Sunday. Weinke won the job by default after Jeff Lewis, the projected starter, was a bust in training camp and was released.

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Darrell Green will announce today that this season will be his last. On the same day, he’ll learn whether his final season will be spent as a starter.

A source close to Green, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that the oldest player ever to play cornerback in the NFL will make his retirement announcement this afternoon at Redskins Park.

Green avoided questions about the matter after Saturday’s practice. The source said that Green did not want to comment until he had talked with Coach Marty Schottenheimer.

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Denver Bronco wide receiver Eddie Kennison, discussing his arrest in Louisiana outside a nightclub, said he’ll walk away the next time he is confronted by an angry security guard.

Kennison practiced with the team on Monday, despite being without his driver’s license, which was confiscated by Baton Rouge police. He used an old high school ID to board his flight back to Denver.

Kennison, a former LSU standout who attended his former team’s season opener against Tulane on Saturday, was arrested early Sunday and charged with three misdemeanors after an argument with a bouncer at Club Raggs, a popular nightclub.

A police spokesman said Kennison, denied entry into the club because he wasn’t in compliance with the dress code, was arrested after refusing to leave the premises despite being asked to do so several times by the club’s personnel and law enforcement.

The Colts are about to sign cornerback Thomas Smith, who played with the Bears and Bills, to a $1 million contract. Smith has spent eight seasons in the NFL, seven with the Bills before signing with Chicago in 2000, and gives the Colts another veteran presence in a secondary that is dominated by young players ....The New York Jets, looking for a nose tackle to replace the injured Jason Ferguson, signed veteran free agent Steve Martin. Martin, a 6-foot-4, 319-pounder, played with Kansas City last season. He also played with Philadelphia and Indianapolis ....Wide receiver Vinny Sutherland, cut by Atlanta a week ago, was signed by the 49ers. The 5-foot-8, 190-pound Sutherland, Drew Brees’ favorite receiver at Purdue, was the Falcons’ fifth-round draft pick.