Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Chargers break off talks with QB Rivers


NFL notebook

The Associated Press

CARSON, Calif. - The San Diego Chargers broke off talks Monday with unsigned rookie quarterback Philip Rivers.

Rivers, chosen by the Giants with the No. 4 pick in the draft, was acquired by the Chargers in the deal that sent quarterback Eli Manning to New York. Manning was selected by San Diego with the No. 1 overall pick.

"This is very disappointing and unfortunate," Chargers general manager A.J. Smith said Monday. "Negotiations broke down."

"We wanted to get him signed before the reporting date, we made an effort. We tried, and we couldn't come to an agreement. He had an offer until 5 p.m. Sunday. That was rejected, and now the offer is off the table. It will only go down from here."

REDSKINS: Starting right tackle Jon Jansen ruptured his left Achilles' tendon in the first quarter of the Hall of Fame game against Denver on Monday night.

Jansen, a six-year player who has never missed an NFL start, was helped off the field by trainers and teammates and sat on the bench for several minutes, his hand covering his face. He then was carted off.

The injury almost certainly will sideline Jansen for the season.

A first-round draft pick in 1999, Jansen became a starter as a rookie.

RAIDERS: Linebacker Napoleon Harris will be sidelined for three-to-six weeks after tearing cartilage in his right knee during a training camp drill Monday.

Harris, who started 29 games in his first two NFL seasons, tore the lateral meniscus and is expected to undergo arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday.

"Napoleon told me he'd be back for the opener, so he was in good spirits," coach Norv Turner said. "That's what the trainers indicated to me, but obviously these things can go either way and it could be as much as six weeks."

TITANS: A second opinion confirmed that linebacker Peter Sirmon will need season-ending surgery to repair his injured left knee.

Sirmon has been the starter for the Titans at left outside linebacker the past two seasons, and had a career-high 141 tackles last year. He hurt his knee during a non-contact drill a week ago while chasing a running back.

BRONCOS: Former Denver running back Terrell Davis officially retired from the NFL on Monday.

Degenerative conditions in both knees led Davis to cut his career short after helping the Broncos to two straight Super Bowl titles.

He missed the 2002 season and then told the Broncos last year that his knees would not be strong enough to pass a physical. The Broncos waived him, leaving the door open for a possible return.

CHARGERS: The Carolina Panthers' unsettled offensive line took another hit Monday when projected starting right tackle Adam Meadows abruptly announced his retirement.

Meadows, 30, signed a five-year, $15 million contract with the Panthers as a free agent March 9, but had been kept out of most of training camp by persistent shoulder problems. The team encouraged Meadows to undergo treatment for arthritis in the shoulder, but Meadows decided to call it quits.

"They told me that there would be highs and lows, and that I would have to play through the pain - and that there would be times when I wouldn't be able to play at all," said Meadows.

DOLPHINS: Linebacker Zach Thomas practiced for the first time since training camp opened. Thomas, who led the Dolphins in tackles seven of the past eight seasons, had surgery a month ago to repair torn cartilage in his left knee.



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