WASHINGTON -- Cornerback Fred Smoot agreed to a five-year
contract with the Washington Redskins on Saturday night, returning
to the team he left two years ago before two tumultuous seasons
with Minnesota.
Smoot will sign his deal Sunday, when he'll also be formally
introduced during a news conference at Redskins Park.
He'll receive a signing bonus of at least $2 million. Other
details of the contract were not immediately available, but Smoot's
agent, Bus Cook, said the cornerback placed a higher priority on
returning to a familiar team than working the free agent market for
the best deal.
"He may have gotten a better deal by going somewhere else -- we
don't know that -- but he's glad to be home," Cook told The
Associated Press. "Sometimes that's more important than money."
Smoot, a second-round draft pick in 2001, joins linebacker
London Fletcher as the first two signings of the free agent period
for the Redskins, who are looking to improve a defense that ranked
31st in the league last year. Cornerback Travis Fisher also visited
the team Saturday, as did offensive lineman Leonard Davis.
Smoot tied a career high with 61 tackles last season, and
returned his only interception for a touchdown -- in Week 16 for the
Vikings' only score in a 9-7 loss at Green Bay.
Smoot has 312 career tackles and 19 INTs in six NFL seasons. He
isn't a shutdown cornerback, but he was a popular and consistent
starter during four seasons with the Redskins. He left in 2005,
lured by a six-year, $34 million offer from the Vikings.
But he found nothing but trouble in Minnesota. His injuries last
year included a broken collarbone and a jaw shattered in five
places in a car accident. He was benched for the first series of
one game for disciplinary reasons. He also was fined after facing a
disorderly conduct charge for his actions at the infamous "Love
Boat" party in October 2005. He lost his starting job. On
Thursday, he was cut.
But the nonstop trash-talker is fondly remembered in Washington.
Coach Joe Gibbs discovered that Smoot had changed little when he
entertained Smoot and Fletcher at a Washington Wizards game Friday
night.
"I don't think Smoot saw a play," Gibbs said. "He was turned
around the whole time talking."
Smoot joins a roster that includes cornerbacks Shawn Springs and
Carlos Rogers, although Springs could be cut later this year for
salary cap reasons.
Also Saturday, Davis, wearing sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt on
his massive 366-pound frame, got into a white Mercedes to head to
lunch with quarterback Jason Campbell, the man Davis would help
protect if he signs with the Redskins.
"The Redskins are in my top two," Davis said. "It's between
the Redskins and the Cowboys."
Davis would be a natural replacement for left guard Derrick
Dockery, who joined the Bills on Friday with a stunning seven-year,
$49 million contract that includes $18.5 million in guaranteed
money.
"I think everyone in the league is surprised," Gibbs said.
At that price, it's wasn't surprising that the Redskins decided
to let Dockery go, even though the team has been criticized in
recent years for not retaining some of its top players. However,
there is now a hole on the offensive line, and Davis would appear
to be an ideal fit -- even though he could cost even more money than
Dockery.
Davis, who has already visited Dallas, hasn't been the
franchise-type player expected when the Arizona Cardinals selected
him No. 2 overall in 2001, but the Redskins don't need him to be.
The offensive line was one of Washington's strengths last year, and
Gibbs simply needs someone who can complement the returning
foursome of Jon Jansen, Randy Thomas, Casey Rabach and Chris
Samuels.
Fletcher, meanwhile, became the first free agent to actually
sign his deal and make the first official appearance at the
prerequisite news conference. Fletcher agreed late Friday to a
five-year, $25 million contract that includes a $10.5 million
signing bonus.
"I didn't sleep much last night with all the phone calls,"
Fletcher said Saturday. "I was too excited, because it's finally
happening for me."
Fletcher will be the new middle linebacker, and he fits the
Gibbs mold in several ways. He's a veteran locker room leader who
probably has a future as a coach. He's familiar with the defense
because he played for assistant coach Gregg Williams in Buffalo. He
has missed one game in his nine seasons in the NFL.
"One of the things we talked about is that he won't come out of
the game," Gibbs said.
The durability, however, also raises a question: After playing
so many consecutive games, how much does Fletcher have left in the
tank at age 32?
Plenty, he says.
"I'm getting two massages a week," he said. "I'm doing all
kinds of things to perform on Sundays. I've also cut out the
basketball."
Fisher, the other free agent to make a visit, would make the
secondary even more crowded, but he would be more a role player in
nickel packages. He has only seven interceptions in an
injury-marred career with St. Louis. He broke his right forearm
last year and has yet to play a full season.
------=
AP Freelance Writer Lindsay Applebaum in Ashburn, Va.,
contributed to this report.