Patriots sign Lynch
Veteran safety and nine-time Pro Bowl pick John Lynch, who spent four seasons with Denver after 11 years with Tampa Bay, has signed with the New England Patriots.
“I thought Denver would be my last stop, but things happened and here I am,” Lynch said Friday.
The Patriots did not report terms of the agreement, but the NFL Network said Thursday that Lynch signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract.
Lynch parted ways with the Broncos early in training camp after being told he would no longer be an every-down player. He was contacted by the Patriots, a team he nearly signed with as a free agent in 2004 before selecting the Broncos.
After talking to coach Bill Belichick and taking a physical, Lynch went back to Denver to confer with his family about accepting the Patriots’ contract offer. He returned to Foxborough Thursday and the Patriots finally officially announced the contract signing Friday.
Whether Lynch will play Sunday night in the Patriots’ second preseason game against Tampa Bay remains to be seen. He said he got through the playbook in one night and felt good after his first practice, even though he had little sleep.
Lynch was asked whether, at the age of 36, he could still be an every-down player.
“We’ll see,” he said. “You produce and things like that happen.”
Favre will make debut
Brett Favre will make his highly anticipated New York Jets debut tonight when he starts against the Washington Redskins, a scenario that seemed so unlikely 10 days ago.
“This game will be fun,” Favre said. “As this thing gets rolling, the newness will wear off and it gets down to playing. And I’ll keep saying this: I’m here for one reason, and that’s to help this team win. No other reason.”
Coach Eric Mangini expected Favre to take eight to 12 snaps against the Redskins.
Favre’s presence will likely draw a sellout crowd to what would’ve been an otherwise ho-hum preseason game. More than 10,500 fans showed up to his first practice last Saturday.
Taylor trial delayed
The trial of four men accused of murdering Redskins star Sean Taylor has been delayed until next year.
A judge set a new trial date of March 3. It had been previously set for later this month, which would have been unusually fast for a murder case.
Colts’ stars still out
Peyton Manning, Bob Sanders and Dwight Freeney will miss their third straight preseason game for the Indianapolis Colts today
A dozen players, including six starters, will sit out against Atlanta.
Manning, Sanders and Freeney have yet to practice, and Manning still has not been on the practice field as he recovers from knee surgery last month.
Finnegan gets extension
The agent for cornerback Cortland Finnegan said the Tennessee Titans cornerback has agreed to a two-year contract extension.
Titans edge Raiders
At Nashville, Tenn., John Vaughn kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Tennessee Titans to a 17-16 victory over Oakland in an exhibition game.
Darren McFadden, the first running back taken in the draft at No. 4 by the Raiders, ran six times for 44 yards.