Raiders Sign Quarterback Collins to a Three-Year Deal

Quarterback Kerry Collins signed with the Oakland Raiders on Monday, ending his monthlong search for a team and raising questions about the future of 2002 NFL most valuable player Rich Gannon.

The deal is for three years and about $12 million.

Collins, a nine-year NFL veteran, was released by the New York Giants on April 28, four days after they’d acquired Eli Manning, the No. 1 pick in the draft. Collins is the kind of quarterback Raider owner Al Davis has always wanted: big and strong-armed.

“I’m looking forward to playing in front of the Raider Nation,” Collins said in a statement.

Gannon, 38, was knocked out of the Raiders’ 17-10 loss to Kansas City on Oct. 20. He ended last season on injured reserve.

He is due to make $7 million this season and has said he won’t take a pay cut, raising speculation the Raiders may let him go.

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Baltimore Raven quarterback Anthony Wright will be out until October after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder.

Wright, the backup for Kyle Boller, had torn cartilage.

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Two months after saying he would never again play for the Cleveland Browns, wide receiver Dennis Northcutt returned to the team after signing a three-year, $9-million contract.

Northcutt’s arrival ended a contentious period that began when his agent, Jerome Stanley, missed a deadline, denying the wide receiver free agency.

College Tennis

The UCLA men’s team ended Illinois’ NCAA-record 64-match winning streak with a 4-2 victory in the national semifinals at Tulsa, Okla.

The Bruins (23-5) advance to the finals, where they will meet Baylor (31-2). UCLA will be seeking its 16th national title, while the Bears are making their first appearance in the championship match.

Baylor defeated USC, 4-0. The Trojans end the season at 23-4.

College Softball

UCLA will be attempting to become the first school since Arizona in 1997 to repeat as NCAA softball champion as it opens in the Women’s College World Series against Stanford on Thursday at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

Miscellany

Because of the Colorado recruiting scandal, football prospects visiting Rice University will have to sign forms promising to behave.

“Before they go out, we want to say, ‘Here’s where you can go; here’s where you can’t go.’ If he’s not willing to sign it, I’m not willing to have him on my campus,” Coach Ken Hatfield said.

Savante Stringfellow, the men’s indoor long jump world champion, is scheduled to undergo surgery today to repair a tear in his right Achilles’ tendon and will miss the Athens Olympics. Stringfellow, a two-time U.S. outdoor long jump champion, suffered the injury Saturday at the Home Depot Invitational in Carson.

Georgia State, a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference longer than any school except Mercer, is moving to the Colonial Athletic Assn. in 2006.