Tuesday, February 24, 2004
ESPN.com news services
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Is Keyshawn Johnson pushing for a reunion with Bill Parcells in Big D?
The first step toward a possible Johnson trade was taken Monday when Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Bruce Allen granted Johnson's agent permission to talk with the Cowboys.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed to Allen interest in a possible trade of receiver Joey Galloway for Johnson last week at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, the St. Petersburg Times reported. The newspaper did not detail parameters of a deal or whether draft picks would be included.
Both Johnson and Galloway are scheduled to earn $6 million for the coming season. Johnson was deactivated by the Bucs in November, saying he had become disruptive during a 4-6 start that followed their Super Bowl XXXVII appearance.
"We'll see what happens," Bucs coach Jon Gruden told the Times. Jones also would not comment on the likelihood of a trade.
"What I will say is he is on our team and under contract," he told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Now we've got some work to do on that contract."
It has been reported that the Bucs are prepared to pay Johnson a $1 million roster bonus on April 1 in order to control his rights straight through to opening day of the coming season. He is midway through an eight-year, $56 million contract that included a $13 million signing bonus.
Carolina Panthers: The Panthers hired Mike Gillhamer on Tuesday as an assistant coach for both the defense and secondary.
Gillhamer spent four seasons as an offensive assistant with the New York Giants from 1997 to 2000, when Panthers head coach John Fox was the defensive coordinator there.
He went on to coach the secondary at Oregon and was the defensive coordinator at Louisville last season.
"My goal has always been to get back into the NFL, and I have a great opportunity here with John Fox," said Gillhamer, who will assist secondary coach Rod Perry.
Gillhamer replaces Ken Flajole, who moved over to help coach Carolina's linebackers when assistant Sam Mills was diagnosed with cancer last August.
Houston Texans: The Houston Texans on Tuesday waived safety Matt Stevens, an eight-year veteran who struggled at the beginning of last season and eventually lost his starting job.
Stevens, 30, was a free agent pickup before the Texans' inaugural season in 2002 and started all 16 games for the first time in his career. He remained the starter for the first five games of last season until he was benched in favor of midseason pickup Marlon McCree.
Stevens, who also has played for the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins and the New England Patriots, saw his 2003 season end Dec. 3 with a sprained ligament in his right knee.
The move was expected as Stevens was due $2.5 million in 2004.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
