Advertisement

Leinart Signs With Arizona for Six Years, $50 Million

Share
From Times Staff and Wire Reports

Quarterback Matt Leinart signed a six-year, $50-million deal with the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night that includes $12 million in guaranteed money.

Leinart, selected 10th overall in April from USC, had been the NFL’s only unsigned first-round pick, and missed Arizona’s exhibition opener Saturday.

For the record:

12:00 a.m. Aug. 17, 2006 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday August 17, 2006 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 27 words Type of Material: Correction
Leinart contract: Articles in Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s Sports section said quarterback Matt Leinart’s contract with the Arizona Cardinals guarantees him $12 million. It guarantees him $14 million.

Agent Chuck Price, who co-represents Leinart with Tom Condon, said a major sticking point in negotiations concerned whether the deal would be for five or six years. The Cardinals wanted the longer contract.

Advertisement

“Once we acquiesced on that,” Price said, “the job on our end was to protect Matt and make those very good numbers solid and reachable as opposed to shallow and unreachable.”

Price said Leinart would head to training camp in Flagstaff, Ariz., following a physical, and should be with his new teammates in time for dinner tonight and practice Wednesday morning.

Leinart was expected to begin camp as the third quarterback behind starter Kurt Warner and backup John Navarre.

-- Sam Farmer

*

Randy Moss’ return to Minnesota was filled with frustration. The way Aaron Brooks played, that could continue when it counts.

Moss had one catch for 16 yards in his first game at the Metrodome since the Vikings traded him to Oakland before last season, and Brooks looked ragged again in the Raiders’ 16-13 exhibition victory.

Moss, who lit up the Metrodome in the first seven years of his career, started the night with a feet-stomping tantrum after Brooks didn’t see that he was wide open in the end zone.

Advertisement

After making his only catch against second-team cornerback Dovonte Edwards in the second quarter, Moss was pulled by Coach Art Shell. Moss stormed off the field and threw his helmet in disgust.

Brooks was one for six for 16 yards and was sacked twice.

*

Washington running back Clinton Portis is out for the rest of the exhibition season and his status for the Redskins’ Sept. 11 opener is uncertain after he partially dislocated his shoulder Sunday in a 19-3 loss to Cincinnati.

Portis flew to Alabama for further examination on the left shoulder, which he injured while tackling cornerback Keiwan Ratliff after an interception.

The Redskins traded receiver Taylor Jacobs to the San Francisco 49ers for cornerback Mike Rumph.

*

The New York Jets got the running back help they needed, acquiring Lee Suggs from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for defensive back Derrick Strait.

With Curtis Martin on the physically-unable-to-perform list because of a lingering knee injury, the Jets were desperate to get another back on the roster.

Advertisement

*

New Orleans rookie running back Reggie Bush was fined by the NFL for wearing his Adidas cleats in an exhibition last week.

The league only allows players to wear Nike or Reebok shoes during games because of a marketing partnership. Bush’s shoes were black with gold highlights.

The fine was thought to be $10,000, but Bush, the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner from USC, originally said he was unsure of the total. He confirmed the fine after Monday’s afternoon practice. “Adidas took care of it,” Bush said of the fine.

*

Bill Cowher is unhappy former Steelers star Jerome Bettis predicted on national television Sunday that this might be his final season as Pittsburgh’s coach.

Cowher said Monday that Bettis spoke with no inside information.

“I really think this is the last year for Coach Cowher in Pittsburgh,” Bettis said in his debut for NBC on Sunday.

“I talked to him after the season was over and I really think he was really a different coach, a different guy.”

Advertisement

Cowher said the two talked in March and haven’t talked since, except in passing, and that Bettis might not feel that way today.

“I talked to Jerome about it and I was very disappointed in what he said, and he understands my position,” Cowher said.

Advertisement