NFL

AWOL Taylor rankles Skins' Gibbs

ASHBURN, Va. - Running back Clinton Portis says his good friend Sean Taylor is boycotting the Washington Redskins' offseason program because of a need for "time away from football" after a tough rookie season.

Portis said he saw Taylor at a charity picnic in Florida over the weekend. Taylor is a former Miami Hurricane.

"Going through all the bad pub that he took, you just need time away from football," Portis said Wednesday. "I think Sean's in shape. He looks good. He's training."

Taylor, a safety, and receiver Santana Moss, also an ex-Hurricane, are the only two unexcused absentees from the offseason workouts, a snub that has upset coach Joe Gibbs. Both players have told the Redskins they want new contracts.

Gibbs said Taylor and Moss will be in violation of their contracts if they don't report for the start of the more structured offseason workouts in early May, even though the players' union considers those practices voluntary. They both are represented by agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Taylor wants to overhaul the seven-year, $18-million deal he signed a year ago. Although he played well in his rookie season, he was an off-the-field headache for the team. He fired two agents, was fined for skipping a day of the NFL's rookie symposium and was benched for a game after being arrested on a drunken driving charge for which he was later cleared.

JETS-RAIDERS TRADE: Tight end Doug Jolley will go to the Jets in a deal that gives Oakland a first-round pick in this weekend's NFL draft. Jolley, a fourth-year tight end out of Brigham Young University, goes to New York in exchange for the Jets' 26th overall pick, the AP reported.

BILLS: Quarterback Shane Matthews re-signed, accepting the role to be the team's third-stringer.

COWBOYS: Restricted free-agent fullback Darian Barnes has signed a one-year, $655,000 contract. Barnes was acquired from the Bucs last year in a draft-day deal.

LIONS: Safety Vernon Fox and offensive tackle Victor Rogers signed to one-year contracts.

PACKERS: Green Bay matched the Vikings' offer for defensive end Aaron Kampman on Wednesday, thereby retaining the restricted free agent.

PANTHERS: Linebacker Chris Draft and punter Tom Rouen signed, an indication that Todd Sauerbrun's days with the team are likely coming to an end. Sauerbrun, a two-time Pro Bowler, has been involved in a series of embarrassing on- and off-field incidents ranging from refusing to handle kicking duties unless he was paid for it to a drunk driving arrest.

[Last modified April 21, 2005, 01:06:12]