Friday, August 16, 2002
NFL Notebook: Browns may deal Johnson
The Associated Press
BEREA - Trade rumors are swirling around Kevin Johnson, the Cleveland Browns' top wide receiver, for the second straight year.
The Browns and Johnson's agent, Tom Condon, have been unable to agree on a contract extension for the fourth-year wideout, and Condon is contacting other teams about the possibility of a trade, Johnson said.
Cleveland coach Butch Davis wasn't immediately available to comment on Johnson's status.
“We want Kevin on this team,” Browns president Carmen Policy said last month. “We'd like to know he'll be here for several seasons.”
Johnson's contract expires at the end of this year. He reportedly is seeking a three-year extension worth $14.5 million with a $5 million signing bonus.
Johnson and his agent recently turned down a three-year, $10 million offer from Cleveland.
During last season's training camp, the Browns began offering up the wide receiver to various NFL teams. No deal ever was made, but the fact that their top receiver was on the trading block created a buzz throughout the city.
“Obviously, what happened a year ago at this time has had an effect,” Johnson said Thursday. “That (led) to my discouragement a little bit. You start to see other sides, and not just the football side of things.”
Johnson was the team's second-round draft pick in 1999 and has been a favorite target of quarterback Tim Couch.
In three years, Johnson has 207 catches for 2,752 yards and 17 touchdowns. Last year, he led the team with 84 catches for 1,097 yards and nine touchdowns.
EAGLES: Quarterback Randall Cunningham will officially retire from the NFL as a member of the Eagles prior to a preseason game against Baltimore today.
Cunningham, who spent last season with the Ravens, played with the Eagles from 1985-95. He holds four team records, including most 300-yard passing games (13), most yards passing in a single game (447 yards) and longest punt (91 yards).
Cunningham is the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards among quarterbacks with 4,928.
TEXANS: Houston Texans owner Bob McNair, joined by city and county officials, formally opened Reliant Stadium, the new home for the NFL's newest team.
The 1.9 million-square-foot glass and steel stadium will field the first game Aug. 24, when the Texans play the Miami Dolphins.
The stadium, which seats 69,500 for football, features the first retractable roof in the NFL.
ETC: Kyle Rote, one of the most popular players in New York Giants history, died Wednesday night. He was 73.
Rote, an All-American at Southern Methodist and the No.1 pick in the 1951 NFL draft, later was the first president of the NFL Players Association.
Rote caught 300 passes for 4,797 yards, a 16-yard average, and 48 touchdowns. He was the team's career receiving leader when he retired, and is currently fifth among Giants.
Rote's 312 points are 10th-best in Giants history.
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NFL Notebook: Browns may deal Johnson
