The Associated Press

CARSON, Calif. - Rookie quarterback Phillip Rivers ended his lengthy holdout, signing a six-year contract with the San Diego Chargers on Monday night.

Rivers, taken by the New York Giants with the No. 4 pick in this year's 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.

Rivers missed four weeks of training camp and two preseason games. Chargers spokesman Scott Yoffe did not disclose the terms of the deal.

San Diego general manager A.J. Smith had said the team's proposal exceeded the deals for Robert Gallery and Larry Fitzgerald, who were selected with the second and third overall picks.

Gallery signed with Oakland for seven years with $18.5 million guaranteed and $60 million with incentives. Fitzgerald's six-year deal with Arizona calls for $20 million guaranteed and $60 million with incentives.

The Chargers have three other healthy quarterbacks on the roster: Drew Brees, last year's starter; Cleo Lemon, the team's No. 3 quarterback last season; and free agent Joe Germaine.

Veteran Doug Flutie is expected to miss several weeks following surgery on his left knee.

SEAHAWKS: Seattle lost three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Chad Brown when he broke his left leg during practice. Coach Mike Holmgren expects Brown to miss at least four regular-season games after he was hurt getting his feet tangled with tight end Itula Mili during a practice drill.

RAVENS: Baltimore lost center Mike Flynn, who had started all but one game since becoming a starter in 2000.

Flynn broke his right collarbone early in the Ravens' practice session. He was part of the unit that helped Jamal Lewis run for 2,066 yards last season, the second highest total in NFL history.

SAINTS: New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks, who missed the first preseason game, will probably miss the third as well. He re-injured a ligament in the top of his thigh against the Packers. On Monday, he was sore and back where he was when he first hurt himself.

EAGLES: Philadelphia signed Dorsey Levens, 34, to help fill the spot vacated at running back when Correll Buckhalter was lost for the season with a knee injury. Levens played for the Eagles two years ago and was with the New York Giants last year. His best years came in the '90s with Green Bay.

He noted Wednesday that he was signed by the Eagles the first time after Buckhalter was hurt, and ran for 475 yards and a 5.5 yard-per-carry average.

"I don't have a lot of mileage on my body so I'm fresh," he said.

GIANTS: Linebacker Carlos Emmons returned to practice after spending more than two weeks on the sidelines because of pain in the leg he broke last season.

"It's definitely a relief," Emmons said. "I have to work on things."

The Giants signed the former Eagle as a free agent in the offseason, thinking he would fill the spot that opened when Brandon Short left to sign with Carolina.

Emmons practiced for the first week of training camp.. However, he developed pain in the leg around Aug. 6, the day before a practice session with the New York Jets.

"I didn't have a setback," Emmons insisted Monday. "Everybody knew it was going to be like this when I came to camp. I was still in the rehab process trying to get everything strong for practice."

PANTHERS: Guard Tutan Reyes has a sprained ankle rather than a broken one.

The Panthers had feared a broken bone after Reyes had to be carted off the field at Sunday's practice.

"It's good, but it's a high ankle sprain and that's tough business for a big guy," offensive line coach Mike Maser said. "Anytime you injure a wheel, and you're a big person, it takes a while to get back."

Reyes was injured about 30 minutes after tackle Matt Willig was taken off the field with a knee injury. It turned out to be just a bruise.

The Panthers have a revamped offensive line this year, one season after they used just seven players and center Jeff Mitchell was the only one to miss a start.

VIKINGS: Pro Bowl center Matt Birk was over the ball Monday for the first time since the second day of training camp.

Birk, who had surgery Aug. 4 to repair a hernia, was expected to need three to five weeks to recover. He started running last week, and said he hopes to be in the lineup for the Vikings' last preseason game Sept. 2 against Seattle.

"It's getting better," Birk said. "Hopefully next week I can start doing some real stuff."

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