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Here are the latest NFL rumors from the folks at Pro Football Weekly:
|  | | Steve Young retires as the top-rated passer in NFL history. |
Steve Young to Seattle to play for old quarterback coach Mike Holmgren, or to Denver to play for old offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan? Jerry Rice to either Carolina (if Panthers free-agent WR Muhsin Muhammad isn't re-signed), Seattle or Oakland? Ken Norton Jr. and Tim McDonald also to Carolina? Believe it or not, we hear none of these rumors can be discounted, as the 49ers' ship continues to sink in a sea of red ink.
Giants defensive end Michael Strahan had a disappointing 1999 season. He agreed that his sacks were down but then tried to rationalize that by saying that he faced a ton of double-teams. At least one member of the Giants organization says that when you are paid as much as Strahan is -- an average of $8 million per season -- you are supposed to overcome those double-teams.
We hear Browns coach Chris Palmer will have more say about whom the team signs in free agency this offseason. Last year, Palmer was preoccupied with getting the expansion team rolling and scouting draft-eligible players.
Not everyone within the Jaguars organization is happy that several players recorded a rap song entitled, "Uh Oh, The Jaguars Super Bowl Song." Leon Searcy, Gary Walker, Keenan McCardell, Jimmy Smith and Fernando Bryant recorded the song during the regular season and didn't expect it to receive as much air play as it has been getting. Coach Tom Coughlin didn't want to talk about the subject, and Mark Brunell said he thinks that sort of thing should be done after the team wins the Super Bowl.
There is almost no chance that running back James Stewart will be back in Jacksonville next season. Rumors around the league suggests that the Browns will make a big pitch to sign Stewart as a free agent.
Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp on linemate Anthony McFarland, the team's 1999 first-round pick: "Right now, his play is picking up, because I didn't think he would be as good as he is now. He had a pretty good tutor also, so we just kind of took him under our wing, just led him along; now he is pretty much on his own."
The following is a list of Bears' free agents who the team said will not immediately be offered contracts: Defensive tackle Shane Burton, guard Greg Huntington, wide receiver Curtis Conway, quarterback Craig Erickson, free safety Chris Hudson, linebacker Rico McDonald, guard Todd Perry and punter Todd Sauerbrun. Some could be brought back for bargain-basement prices.
Beyond their desire to acquire a running back, re-signing free-agent-to-be defensive end Robert Porcher is a close second on the Lions' offseason to-do list. While coach Bobby Ross has led Porcher to believe the team will not place the franchise tag on him, we hear it's not a guarantee.
Week in and week out, Vikings offensive line coach Mike Tice graded right tackle Korey Stringer as the team's best offensive lineman. An intense offseason conditioning program helped Stringer shed 50 pounds in weight, and he kept it off during the season to maintain a strong level of play.
One Titan who appears to be near the end of his rope with the team is third-year wide receiver Joey Kent. Tennessee's 1997 second-round pick finished the regular season with only three receptions and has been buried on the team's depth chart.
Bills quarterback Rob Johnson earned respect in the locker room when he took full blame for the safety the team gave up during its wild-card loss at Tennessee.
The Steelers are expected to bring in a veteran quarterback to compete with Kordell Stewart. Names being bandied about include Gus Frerotte, Trent Green and Jim Miller. Frerotte, who's from the Pittsburgh area, is considered the most likely of the three to join the Steelers. Miller is considered the least likely, because of lingering bad feelings over how little he was used during his initial stint in Pittsburgh. Green, who's still under contract with the Rams, would have to be acquired in a trade.
The Dolphins are hopeful that '99 rookie J.J. Johnson can be their every-down back in 2000. Johnson is strong, doesn't go down on the first hit and is a pretty good receiver. Miami's lone concern is whether Johnson can hold up for an entire season after he injured or aggravated his hamstring three times this past season.
Miami might seek a weak-side linebacker to supplant Derrick Rodgers, a pass rusher in college who hasn't developed the instincts to be an effective all-around linebacker.
Falcons offensive line coach Art Shell hardly earned high reviews this season. Insiders point to the bevy of missed assignments and tactical foul-ups by Atlanta linemen this season and suggest the laid-back Shell should have lit a lot bigger fire under his troops.
We hear that if Saints' VP of football operations Charles Bailey, the first African-American in team history to hold a higher title than assistant coach, was indeed a serious candidate for the team's open GM post, he would have been hired by now.
We're told defensive tackle Tim Morabito and running back Anthony Johnson -- two steady but unspectacular unrestricted free agents -- are a good bet to be re-signed by the Panthers.
If you ask Rams director of player personnel Charley Armey, he'll tell you that first-year starter and former undrafted free-agent middle linebacker London Fletcher is every bit as big a find as quarterback Kurt Warner.
As much as he'd love to see Shannon Sharpe in a Ravens uniform, we hear Baltimore coach Brian Billick thinks Shanahan will find a way to re-sign the free-agent tight end.
Chiefs quarterback Warren Moon has not yet decided whether to play next season. He is due to make $2.25 million in base salary next season, but the Chiefs, who are over the 2000 cap, will either renegotiate that deal or cut him.
One of the big offseason questions in Seattle is whether Mike Holmgren is completely sold on quarterback Jon Kitna. Holmgren seemed fairly content with Kitna's '99 performance but did not rave about it. Still, a change for next season is unlikely.
Chargers defensive tackle Norman Hand, an unrestricted free agent-to-be, is seeking a contract worth about $5 million a year. Right now, it does not appear the Chargers are willing to pay even $4 million a year. It would not be a surprise if they let him leave and used the salary-cap space to sign a wide receiver and/or a cornerback.
Defensive end Alfred Williams has declined the Broncos' request that he convert most of his $1.6 million base salary for next season into incentives that would not count against the 2000 salary cap. Denver will probably release Williams so he can shop his services.
Material from Pro Football Weekly.
Visit PFW's web site at http://www.profootballweekly.com
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