NFL: Washington Redskins news...

[The_Dude]

Via Yahoo! Sports:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- 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.