Page 14 - 3-17-15 Tuesday's Edition

Sports
49ers Sign Reggie Bush
Vikings Trade For Mike Wallace
MIKE WALLACE
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings filled a sig- nificant need in their offense Friday, acquiring wide re- ceiver Mike Wallace and a 2015 seventh-round draft pick from the Miami Dolphins for a fifth-round pick this year.
The trade was made before the Dolphins had to pay Wal- lace's $3 million bonus this weekend.
Responding to Friday re- ports that he was not happy to be traded to Minnesota, Wal- lace told reporters over con- ference call, "Yeah, I'm excited. That's not really true, because I didn't even tell any- body that. I don't know where that kind of came from. A lot of people always put words in my mouth. Nobody ever heard me say that. I don't have any problems with being here. I'm excited for a fresh start."
Vikings Release Jennings
GREG JENNINGS
MINNEAPOLIS -- Two years ago, the Minnesota Vikings signed wide receiver Greg Jennings four days after they missed out on Mike Wallace in free agency. A day after they finalized a deal for Wallace, their relationship with Jennings ended.
The Vikings released Jen- nings on Saturday afternoon, parting with the receiver after two underwhelming seasons in Minnesota. Jennings signed a five-year, $45 million deal with the Vikings in 2013, saying he wanted a fresh start after playing his first seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers. But after playing with four different starting quarter- backs, Jennings caught just 127 passes for 1,546 yards and 10 touchdowns in two years in Minnesota.
By releasing him, the Vikings saved at least $5 mil- lion against their 2015 salary cap. If they released Jen- nings with a post-June 1 des- ignation, they would reap $9 million in cap savings this year.
Rams Sign Fairley
Reggie Bush is set to re- turn to California.
The San Diego native and former USC star running back has reached agreement with the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers also announced Saturday the signing of cor- nerback Shareece Wright to a one-year deal.
The Detroit Lions re- leased Bush in February, saving $1.7 million in salary cap space.
Bush, who turned 30 on March 2, signed a four-year deal with the Lions in 2013 and was a 1,000-yard rusher for Detroit in his first season with the club. Bush couldn't stay healthy in 2014, though, dealing with a lingering ankle
REGGIE BUSH
injury that started in Week 5 against Buffalo and never completely healed.
He played in 11 games last season with only 76 carries for 297 yards and two touch- downs. He also had 40 recep- tions for 253 yards. Bush continually tried to come back throughout the season but kept getting reinjured.
The St. Louis Rams have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent defensive tackle Nick Fairley.
The deal is worth $5 mil- lion, but can increase up to $8 million with incentives.
Fairley made an appear- ance Friday at a team news conference that was held to also introduce recently ac- quired quarterback Nick Foles.
NICK FAIRLEY
was the Detroit Lions' first- round pick in 2011 with the No. 13 pick out of Auburn.
The 27-year-old Fairley
Cowboys Land McFadden
Johnson Returns To Bengals
IRVING, Texas -- The Dal- las Cowboys have moved quickly to fill at least part of the hole left by DeMarco Murray's departure by agreeing to a two-year deal with running back Darren McFadden.
The deal is worth up to $5.85 million and includes a $200,000 bonus, according to a source.
"I always kept my eye on Dallas," McFadden told the team's website. "I figured whatever happened with De- Marco Murray's situation would have an impact on my situation. I feel like it worked out great for me."
In seven seasons with the Oakland Raiders, McFad-
Free-agent defensive lineman Michael John- son, who spent his first five seasons in Cincinnati before signing a lucrative deal last year with Tampa Bay, reached an agreement on a four-year contract Sunday to return to the Bengals.
Johnson's deal is worth $20 million with $6 million due in 2015, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
He also is receiving $7 million this season from the Buccaneers as part of the five-year, $43.8 million con- tract he signed last year. The Buccaneers released him last week after just one season.
The Bengals, who will re- ceive a third-round compen- satory pick in the 2015 draft as a result of losing John-
MICHAEL JOHNSON
son last year in free agency, now have the defensive end back on the team.
"I'm thankful for the Buc- caneers giving me an oppor- tunity to come down there and learn," Johnson said on a conference call with re- porters. "I'm going to always cherish all of the memories - - the highs and the lows. You can't appreciate the highs without the lows."
DARREN MCFADDEN
den ran for 4,247 yards on 1,038 carries and 25 touch- downs. He also caught 211 passes for 1,769 yards and five touchdowns, but he has struggled with injuries throughout his career.
Last year was the first time in his career he played in all 16 games, but he became a backup for most of the sea- son.
Steelers, Roethlisberger Agree On New Deal
year of Richardson's rookie contract because he was sus- pended for two games the day before the AFC Champi- onship Game at New Eng- land in January. Richardson was suspended because he failed to notify the team he would be missing a walk-through practice the day before the New England game when his wife was in the hospital for pregnancy complications.
Richardson told re- porters that his phone died and that when he finally reached coach Chuck Pagano and offered to fly out to New England on his own or rush to meet the team plane, Pagano told him not to worry about it.
"Nothing would stop me from going to work other than my kids," Richardson said Thursday. "With that, I told Coach the situation. I said I could fly in or try to make the flight. He told me, 'We weren't going to dress you anyway.'"
Richardson also missed making weight 14 times dur- ing the season, according to a source.
Grievance Filed Against Colts
PITTSBURGH -- Quarter- back Ben Roethlisberger signed a five-year contract Friday that should allow him to play his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The deal is worth $99 mil- lion and can escalate to $108 million, according to a source. NFL.com was first to report the money.
"This is where I want to be," Roethlisberger said Friday afternoon with chair- man Dan Rooney, team president Art Rooney II, coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Col- bert among those watching his news conference. "It's an incredibly fair deal for both sides, and we're just excited to move forward and get some more Lombardi tro- phies in that room next year."
Roethlisberger has led the Steelers to their only two
BEN ROETHLISBERGER
Super Bowl titles since the 1970s, and the 11-year vet- eran is coming off a Pro Bowl season in which he estab- lished career highs in passing yards (4,952), completions (408) and completion per- centage (67.1).
He turned 33 on March 2, but Colbert said in January that the Steelers believe he is getting better and can con- tinue to play at a high level into his late 30s, as Tom Brady and Peyton Man- ning have done.
Trent Richardson is look- ing to recoup his 2015 salary by filing a grievance against the Colts, who released him Thursday.
INDIANAPOLIS -- For- mer Indianapolis Colts run- ning back Trent Richardson, who was re- leased Thursday, has filed a grievance against the team for voiding the $3.184 mil- lion he was to make during the 2015 season, according to a source.
Richardson hopes the grievance will help him re- coup some if not all of the money he was scheduled to make next season.
Language in Richard- son's contract allowed the Colts to avoid paying the final
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