The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. - Keyshawn Johnson will get his wish to leave Tampa Bay - once the season is over. He won't even get to play.

The Buccaneers shelved their disgruntled star receiver for the rest of the year Tuesday, saying he had become disruptive during a disappointing 4-6 start for the defending Super Bowl champions.

"For whatever reason he didn't want to be here. He let me know that some time after one of our early games," coach Jon Gruden said.

The Bucs said they would deactivate Johnson for the remaining six games. He will be paid his full salary and was not fined, general manager Rich McKay said.

The two-time Pro Bowl selection was shocked by the move.

"I really don't know what to say. Basically, they are shutting me down for the rest of the season. I don't understand it," Johnson told the St. Petersburg Times.

"I gave them everything I had between the white lines. I did everything they asked me to do. But it's OK, I'll continue to work out and stay in shape and look forward to playing somewhere else next year," he said.

Johnson is the Bucs' third-leading receiver this season with 45 catches for 600 yards and three touchdowns.

McKay spoke with Johnson's agent, Jerome Stanley, and "we agreed that it will not be necessary for him to be present at our facility for the remainder of the year."

Johnson is midway through an eight-year, $56 million contract that included a $13 million signing bonus.

He has been unhappy with his role in Gruden's offense and had been dropping not-so-subtle hints he did not wish to remain in Tampa Bay beyond 2003.

"We've worked hard to try to get him the football. We want our players to be happy. But unfortunately, it has festered for a while. I believe it has affected him. Certainly we hate to see him go, but that's just part of football sometimes," Gruden said.

McKay said Johnson approached him and Gruden four or five weeks ago and was emphatic about his desire to leave Tampa Bay at the end of this season.

"Following that I really feel Keyshawn's actions changed. His approach to us, to the organization and to the team, changed. A lot of mandatory workouts missed, a lot team functions that are football related that were not attended and it became, in our mind, a problem. And one that needed to be addressed," McKay said.

McKay declined to say how many workouts Johnson had skipped, or whether missing a mandatory team meeting on Monday was the final straw.

"We're trying to win football games, and at some point you have to say this is not in the best interest of winning. We had another path we could have taken, which is to go down the disciplinary path. ... But this isn't about money. We're not trying to get any money back from Keyshawn. We're not trying to make an example," he said.

Said Gruden: "It's nothing personal."

"Hopefully he finds what he's looking for. We're in the same search for excellence and answers to how to get out of the funk we're in," he said.

Joe Jurevicius, who returned last week after being sidelined seven games with a sprained knee, likely will take Johnson's spot in the lineup.

Johnson was the Bucs' leading receiver the past three seasons and helped them win their first Super Bowl in January.

PATRIOTS: New England signed wide receiver J.J. Stokes as they try to fill in gaps left by injuries.

Stokes played in six games for Jacksonville this season and caught 13 passes for 116 yards before he was released Nov. 12, when the Jaguars claimed Kevin Johnson from Cleveland.

VIKINGS: Defensive end Kenny Mixon was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, the second member of the team arrested in the past few days. Kevin Williams, the Vikings' first-round choice this year and their other starting defensive end, was arrested by police around midnight Thursday for the same reason.

MONDAY NIGHT GAME: Terrell Owens had a 61-yard touchdown catch among his eight receptions for 155 yards, and Tim Rattay went 21-of-27 for 254 yards in the 49ers' 30-14 victory over Pittsburgh.

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