Holmgren may coach Seattle beyond 2006

Head coach Mike Holmgren acknowledged Thursday that his agent has been in negotiations with the Seattle Seahawks on a contract extension but stopped short of saying that he expected to return to the team after his current contract expires next February.

“They’ve had some talks and some really good talks, and so it’s ongoing,” Holmgren said of his agent and the Seahawks after the team wrapped up minicamp. “I’m feeling good about stuff, but nothing’s been finalized yet.”

Holmgren’s original contract – an eight-year, $32 million deal – expires at the end of the 2006 season. He and the team are trying to work out a deal that would keep him around beyond 2006.

Holmgren’s agent, Bob LaMonte, was in town this week to discuss matters with members of the Seahawks’ front office.

Part of the holdup could involve a desire to be a general manager again one day. Holmgren held that title during his first three seasons in Seattle but was relieved of his duties on New Year’s Eve 2002 while still being retained as head coach. Holmgren would not comment when asked about his desire to be a GM.

Jaguars’ Smith calls it quits

Five-time Pro Bowl receiver Jimmy Smith of Jacksonville, who overcame health problems and a drug addiction during his 13 seasons, abruptly retired to “move on to the next phase of my life.”

Smith, 37, ranks seventh in NFL history with 862 receptions and 11th with 12,287 yards receiving.

Driver signs extended deal

Wide receiver Donald Driver, 31, has signed a two-year contract extension with the Green Bay Packers, his agent, Jordan Woy, confirmed. The new four-year deal is worth $17 million.

Former kicker pleads guilty

Former Raiders kicker Cole Ford, who has been hospitalized for mental illness, pleaded guilty in Las Vegas to shooting at the home of entertainers Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn in 2004.

Ford, who last kicked for Oakland in 1997, agreed to a felony plea that could result in a suspended sentence of one to six years in a Nevada prison if he continues mental-health treatment at a center near his family’s home in Tucson, Ariz.