Not much news to report on the Larry Johnson negotiations for a contract extension. Both sides are wisely taking a week off from talks. The Chiefs are on vacation until next week. But the pressure will be on the Chiefs to get something done to prevent a training camp holdout. The Chiefs hold all of the negotiating cards, which does not necessarily ensure a quick settlement. They have him under contract for around $1.9 million this season and have the ability to franchise him in 2008. Still, Johnson needs to get a deal done. He's going to turn 28 this fall and it's hard for running backs to net big contracts at that age. He can't let the season slip away and then get franchised. It's pretty clear Johnson will hold out if nothing gets done and he's stuck with a $1.9 million salary this season.
Safety measures: The Raiders' signing of safety Donovin Darius makes sense. The Raiders know they have one of the best young safeties in the game in Michael Huff, who has a lot of range and ability. Darius will come in and challenge Stuart Schweigert for the starting job at free safety. Darius is strong at playing the run near the line of scrimmage, so it's interesting that he would have to play more free safety. The Raiders have a good, young defense, so getting a leader such as Darius isn't a bad move. As long as he is healthy, Darius has a decent shot at beating out Schweigert.
Passing Panthers: The reason the Panthers passed on signing Darius, despite their need at safety, is they didn't think he had enough range to help them. The Panthers are very thin team at safety. They have Mike Minter, who is in his final season, and Nate Salley. The Panthers feel Minter is as good as Darius.
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John Clayton
