Ramsey Signs With Redskins

One day after his rights were nearly traded to the Chicago Bears, first-round draft pick Patrick Ramsey signed with the Washington Redskins on Wednesday.

The quarterback from Tulane received a five-year, $5.7-million deal with a $3.1-million signing bonus, according to a football source speaking on condition of anonymity.

However, it’s unlikely Ramsey will be included in what is now a three-way battle among Shane Matthews, Danny Wuerffel and Sage Rosenfels for the starting job.

“Obviously you can’t get four quarterbacks ready to play,� first-year Coach Steve Spurrier said. “It’s hard to get three. We’ve been rotating three, and it’s worked out pretty well in practice. But now we’re getting closer to the season, you start rotating two.�

Ramsey said it was “a definite blow� when he learned he might be going to the Bears, especially since he has already bought a townhouse in Northern Virginia. With the trade not completed, he arrived at training camp late Wednesday with the prospect of playing for a coach who considered him expendable less than 24 hours earlier.

“This whole deal’s been crazy. It’s an unfortunate situation. I’m just thrilled to be here at this point,� Ramsey said. “I’m just learning the way this league works, and I was broken in early, I guess.�

The signing ended a 16-day holdout for the last pick in the first round of April’s draft. The pace of negotiations so frustrated the Redskins that they contacted Chicago and other teams, but Bear General Manager Jerry Angelo balked at the asking price of a 2003 first-round pick and second-year guard Mike Gandy.

*

New Orleans signed Coach Jim Haslett to a four-year contract extension. He was in the final year of a three-year deal.

Although Haslett would not say how much the deal is worth, it is a raise from the base salary of $900,000 in his original contract.

“It’s a great opportunity to do something over the next few years, and build something long-term,� Haslett said. “You don’t want to build a team that will win one year and then lose and be up and down.�

General Manager Mickey Loomis said the deal puts Haslett in the upper echelon of NFL coaches. There also is a provision in the contract that extends the deal by one year each time the Saints win their division, through 2010.

*

Safety Leomont Evans walked into the Houston Texans’ camp and insisted his career is not over.

“If everything’s fine, I’ll be out there,� Evans said.

Evans bruised his spine in a collision during the Hall of Fame Game on Monday night against the New York Giants.

Evans was released from an Ohio hospital Wednesday morning and spent the night at a Houston hospital for evaluation. He said he feels fine except for persisting pain radiating down from his neck.

*

Redskin defensive lineman Santana Dotson, 32, was put on the injured reserve list after surgery for a ruptured left Achilles’ tendon that could end his career.

The 11-year veteran was injured Tuesday in a pass rush drill during his first practice of training camp.

*

Running back Luke Staley’s future with the Detroit Lions is uncertain after he injured a knee that was reconstructed last season when he was playing at Brigham Young.

Staley, the Lions’ seventh-round draft pick, has sat out a week of practice because of the injury. Coach Marty Mornhinweg said a doctor gave Staley three options.

“No. 1 is to put the brace on it and play,� Mornhinweg said. “No. 2 is to have surgery on the [ligament] again, plus some other procedures that will make it better again. The third option is to simply retire.

“I don’t think he will retire. He insinuated that he wants to play and that he’ll wear a brace.�