| | Associated Press
ASHBURN, Va. -- The "Who's Who" team now has a Prime Time
lineup.
Deion Sanders brought his flash and dash and two Super Bowl
rings on Monday to the Washington Redskins, who fully expect him to
get a third one this season.
His signing of a seven-year, $56 million contract is the boldest
move yet in an audacious offseason that reflects the
championship-or-bust mentality of owner Dan Snyder -- although it's
hard to imagine anything more audacious than the newly tailored
suit of Redskins burgundy and gold, complete with mustard-colored
buttons, worn by Sanders at the news conference.
|  | | Eight-time Pro Bowler Deion Sanders talks to the media at Redskins Park after signing his seven-year, $56 million contract on Monday. |
"If the top priority's not to win the Super Bowl, then I don't
know why you even play the game. I don't play for the money,
although the money is fine, God bless you, Mr. Snyder," said
Sanders, who got an $8 million signing bonus and has received about
$28 million in signing bonuses in the last five years.
"If you win it all, the money will come."
Already this year, the Redskins have signed free agents Bruce
Smith, Mark Carrier, Jeff George and Adrian Murrell. They also
traded to get two of the top three picks in April's draft, choosing
Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington and Alabama tackle Chris
Samuels.
"We're definitely the 'Who's Who' of the NFL now," receiver
Irving Fryar said after a morning practice. "We've got a lot of
great names who carry a lot of great talent with them. Yeah, on
paper, we're the team.
"But obviously the reason we're out here working is to try to
develop some cohesiveness between those names, so all those great
names become one great name."
Sanders was at Redskin Park at 7 a.m., working out with his
personal trainer. He passed a physical in the afternoon before
signing his contract.
The 32-year-old cornerback arrived in Washington on Saturday
night and had dinner with Snyder, director of player personnel
Vinny Cerrato and longtime Redskins cornerback Darrell Green.
"Nightmares of the last few years of Deion scoring touchdowns
against us will no longer happen," Snyder said.
Green helped recruit Sanders, even though the 40-year-old,
seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback concedes his days as a starter may
now come to an end.
"As the job changes, your responsibility changes," said Green,
who signed a five-year contract last week. "This is only normal,
this is only natural."
Coach Norv Turner said Sanders would immediately become a
starter -- and then hedged as much as he could concerning Green and
the other incumbent, Champ Bailey. Turner said all three would be
on the field often because offenses are frequently using sets of
three and four wide receivers. He even quipped he may "introduce
12 men defensively" when the lineups are announced.
Turner said Sanders also will return punts but downplayed the
possibility of Sanders lining up at receiver as he occasionally did
with the Cowboys.
Sanders, selected to eight Pro Bowls, has at times been the most
dominant defensive player in the game. As a speedy cornerback with
dogged man-to-man skills, he can take away half the field from an
offense. He was the NFL defensive player of the year with San
Francisco in 1994, even though he didn't join the 49ers until Sept.
15.
Sanders also has a history of injury. He missed the first two
games last season with an ailing toe and was bothered by hamstring,
knee and ankle problems as the year went along. He was selected to
the Pro Bowl, but did not play because of knee surgery Jan. 24.
He said Monday he had recovered and that he's "going to play as
long as Darrell plays."
The surgery also hampered Sanders' attempt to play baseball with
the Cincinnati Reds this year. He was assigned to a minor league
team, but left the club May 11. The new contract does not forbid
him from playing baseball again.
Sanders is unlikely to play the entire seven years of the
contract, but the Redskins had to make it a long one so it would
meet his demands and still fit under the salary cap. The $8 million
bonus will be prorated over the seven years, and Sanders' salary
this year is only $500,000, meaning he will count a relatively
affordable $1.6 million against the cap.
The Redskins made salary room for Sanders by releasing kick
returner Brian Mitchell and fullback Larry Bowie last week.
However, Cerrato must still work out contracts for Arrington and
Samuels, who have yet to sign and could command signing bonuses of
$10 million or more.
Sanders has played for Atlanta, San Francisco and Dallas during
his 11-year career, which he has juggled at times with stints in
baseball. He won Super Bowls with the 49ers and Cowboys, and his
love of the spotlight in the big games earned him the nickname
"Prime Time."
He spent the last five years with the Cowboys, but was released
Friday. Dallas would have owed him a cap-bursting $23.5 million
guarantee over the next two years had he stayed on the roster.
Sanders signed his last contract with the Cowboys a year ago, a
five-year, $51.5 million deal that was worth more per year than his
new one.
Sanders realizes some Washington fans may cringe because he's
spent so long on the other side of the Cowboys-Redskins rivalry.
"I know it's hard to accept a man with open arms who's done a
little work against you," Sanders said. "You win over fans by making plays."
Redskins Notes: Former Steelers defensive end Nolan Harrison has agreed to a one-year, $440,000 deal with the Redskins, ESPN the Magazine's John Clayton reports. | |
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AUDIO/VIDEO
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