Cowboys Keep Security For Aikman By Signing Novacek To Contract

Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman, who lost his deep threat when Alvin Harper left, kept his third-down, go-to guy in tight end Jay Novacek.

A $1.8 million signing bonus pushed Novacek over the edge as he signed a three-year, $4.8 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys Monday after Green Bay had made a strong bid.

The Cowboys needed to sign Novacek after they lost Harper to Tampa Bay and center Mark Stepnoski to the Houston Oilers. On defense, Dallas has lost pass-rush specialist Jim Jeffcoat to Buffalo and free safety James Washington to the Washington Redskins.

Green Bay Packers coach Mike Holmgren says he’s disappointed, not angry, that star receiver Sterling Sharpe filed a grievance seeking to collect $3 million from the team. Sharpe, recovering from spinal-fusion neck surgery on Feb. 3, was waived by the Packers two weeks ago when the team decided it would be too risky for him to play again.

George Seifert, who directed the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl championship, was given a two-year contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 1997 season at an average of $1.4 million.

After two weeks of stalled negotiations, the Cleveland Browns are again close to signing Phil Simms as the backup to quarterback Vinny Testaverde.

Missouri attorney general Jay Nixon said if the NFL owners say no to a possible move of the Los Angeles Rams to St. Louis, he would file an antitrust lawsuit by the end of the month. He said the suit would seek a temporary restraining order against the NFL “to stop any unlawful restraint of trade.”

The CFL team moving to San Antonio will be known as the San Antonio Texans. CFL officials, the team said, have approved the name change. Previously, the team was the Sacramento Goldminers.

Kerwin Bell, 29, a star quarterback with the University of Florida in the 1980s, signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian League.