Mcnair Signs Seven-Year, $28.4 Million Contract

Steve McNair, Alcorn State’s record-setting quarterback and the No. 3 pick in the NFL draft, has agreed to terms with the Houston Oilers.

McNair will receive $28.4 million over seven years, the Houston Chronicle reported today. The newspaper said that includes a $5.3 million signing bonus and another $4.3 in guaranteed money. It also said incentives could make the agreement worth nearly $30 million.

“I want to get into the organization and learn the things I need to learn to be the starter in the future,” McNair told Houston’s KRIV-TV from Mount Olive, Miss., on Saturday. “This is very exciting. It’s a dream come true. All of the things they guaranteed is great. I’ve got to prove to the organization what they are giving me is not just a fluke.”

Oilers coach Jeff Fisher said he expects McNair to report to camp in San Antonio in “a couple of days.”

Emtman visits 49ers

Free-gent defensive tackle Steve Emtman, his three-year NFL career curtailed by serious knee injuries, had what San Francisco coach George Seifert called “an impressive workout” at the defending Super Bowl champions’ training camp in Rocklin, Calif.

“He looked good - in fact he looked very, very good,” Seifert said of the half-hour closed workout, one of several the 6-foot-4, 300-pound Emtman has scheduled this week as he tries to revive his once-promising career.

Emtman, 25, the Indianapolis Colts’ first-round pick in 1992 out of Washington, has played in only 18 games the past three seasons.

Young supports Bledsoe

Steve Young’s reaction to the seven-year, $42 million contract with an $11.5 million bonus signed by Drew Bledsoe of New England?

“The perception is this is the time he takes them to the next level,” said Young, who will make $4 million this year. “As far as myself, I signed a contract and it’s a five-year deal. This would be relevant if my contract were up, but it’s not. All the more power to him.”

Bledsoe is starting just his third season with the Pats, but has already collected $16 million in signing bonuses.

Morten’s move salt in wound

Fans call it a crime. The Atlanta Falcons call it a coup. The New Orleans Saints call it strictly business.

Whatever you call it, Morten Andersen - the most productive player in franchise history - kicked the Saints where it hurt most by signing with their top rival.

“I think it put the knife in more than if Morten had gone somewhere else,” said Frank Warren, who played with Andersen and is now a member of the Atlanta coaching staff. “It’s the team New Orleans loves to hate and it’s going to kill them to see Morten wearing a Falcons uniform.”

To make room for Andersen, Atlanta cut Norm Johnson, who promptly visited the Saints’ training camp and met with team officials.

Around the league

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says the trade that sent Deion Sanders from the Cincinnati Reds to the San Francisco Giants won’t have any effect on his team’s chances of luring the two-sport star from the 49ers. … Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin said he was so annoyed that his team didn’t make the Super Bowl for a third straight year last season that he’s dropped his weight from 218 to 208 in an attempt to help his team get back. “Maybe we were fat cats,” Irvin said. … Erik Williams is considering a lucrative contract proposal made this week that would bind the troubled offensive lineman to the Cowboys for at least the next five seasons.

The NFL will pay for Dolphins linebacker Bryan Cox’s attorney costs - $18,494 - in his discrimination lawsuit against the league, a lawsuit that prompted the NFL to change its policies on protecting players from unruly fans. … The Panthers have handed their starting left tackle job to rookie Blake Brockermeyer, who was a right tackle at Texas. … The Bears are having difficulty signing first-round draft choice and Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam, who wants a voidable contract that would allow Salaam to renegotiate after a specified number of seasons.

Vikings first-round draft pick and offensive tackle Korey Stringer signed a four-year, $3.4 million contract. … The Eagles signed former Pittsburgh kicker Gary Anderson to a one-year contract and released 16-year veteran Eddie Murray. … Barring an 11th-hour contract settlement, Browns All-Pro safety Eric Turner will be a holdout as full-squad workouts begin this week. The Browns have offered $2.1 million this season, while Turner is asking for a $5 million signing bonus and a four-year contract worth $3.4 million per.

First-round 49ers draft pick J.J. Stokes remains a holdout. The receiver wants a seven-year deal with a voidable option, while San Francisco is offering a four-year contract estimated at $1.2 million per. … Veteran receiver John Taylor is among the 49ers competing to succeed free-agent defector Dexter Carter as the team’s punt returner. … The Saints placed Timm Rosenbach on the reserve-non football injury list after the former Washington State quarterback ruptured a disk in his back. Rosenbach could miss eight weeks. … People close to the Jacksonville camp say Tony Boselli, the team’s No. 1 pick, will be lost for nearly half the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery for knee injury suffered last week.