Quarterback Kerry Collins told New York Giants General Manager Ernie Accorsi yesterday that he would not accept a pay cut, probably sealing Collins's departure and all but ensuring that Eli Manning will be the team's starter next season as a rookie.
That apparently was the Giants' plan, anyway.
An NFL source, speaking on the condition of anonymity because none of the moves had become public yet, said Friday that the Giants intended to obtain Manning, release Collins and start Manning immediately. The Giants made the first part of that equation happen Saturday shortly after the San Diego Chargers selected Manning with the top overall pick in the draft, taking North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers with the draft's fourth choice and sending him -- along with a third-round selection Saturday and first- and fifth-round picks next year -- to the Chargers for Manning, who had said he wouldn't play for San Diego.
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Manning might have company next season as a rookie starting quarterback. Both of the other members of the draft's Big Three, Rivers and Miami of Ohio's Ben Roethlisberger, have a chance to start. Roethlisberger went to the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 11th overall pick.
Collins, 31, led the Giants to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2000 season but is entering the final season of a contract that has a cumbersome $7 million salary for next season and would count $8.95 million against the Giants' salary cap.
Collins said he went to see Accorsi after being told by Giants Coach Tom Coughlin by telephone on Saturday that the team would be asking him to rework his contract.
"I decided to go in and see Ernie [yesterday] morning because, frankly, I figured there was no reason to wait around,'' Collins told New York area reporters. "If that's what was on their mind and that was the situation I was faced with, I wanted to go in and talk to them about it.''
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Collins said he was told by Accorsi that the team could rework his contract, perhaps by adding years to the deal that would be voided later, or it would have to restructure five other players' contracts to keep him and sign Manning.
"I told him that I wouldn't be interested in doing any restructuring or taking any sort of pay cut,'' Collins said. "He said, 'Well, we'll have to talk about it . . . and we'll have to make a decision on that.' But it was pretty clear to me what was going to happen and what they were going to do. I'm not a math wiz, but I put two and two together real quick.''
Because Collins has only one season left on his contract, the Giants wouldn't receive any salary cap benefit by waiting until June to cut him. The Giants might try to trade Collins, but other clubs know the situation that the Giants are in and, even if they're interested, likely would wait for Collins to be cut before pursuing him.
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In San Diego, Rivers joins Drew Brees and Doug Flutie -- neither of whom was the answer for a 4-12 team. The Chargers, who love Rivers's experience and polish, appear interested in trying to trade Brees, but a coach in danger of losing his job -- as Marty Schottenheimer will be next season -- usually doesn't like playing a rookie quarterback. However, playing Rivers might give San Diego just as much of a chance to win as playing Brees or Flutie.
The Steelers' incumbent starter, Tommy Maddox, was scheduled to meet with Coach Bill Cowher and owner Dan Rooney yesterday in Pittsburgh. Maddox has been seeking a new deal and a raise from his $750,000 salary -- less than the $1 million that will be earned next season by backup Charlie Batch. But the Steelers put off negotiations until after the draft, and now Maddox's leverage is greatly decreased. Cowher has left open the possibility of Roethlisberger being the starter next season and the Steelers, with Batch in the fold, probably wouldn't hesitate to release Maddox if he becomes a problem.
"We're not looking at this as being a transition,'' Cowher said during his post-draft news conference Sunday. "We want to win football games. Whoever can give us the best opportunity to win football games -- we're going to make that decision accordingly. . . . It will become a competitive situation. We'll see how it unfolds.''
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Roethlisberger isn't shying from a rivalry with Manning, saying the spotlight that has belonged to Manning in recent days will belong to him next season.
"I said coming into this, it all boils down to just football,'' Roethlisberger said during his introductory news conference yesterday in Pittsburgh. "That is what I have been wanting to do for a long time -- just get on the field and start playing. Once we get on the field, there will be separation.''
NFL Notes: The Steelers took Stanford center Drew Caylor (Bethesda-Chevy Chase), in the sixth round Sunday. . . . NFL officials say they will wait for Leonard Little's case to be decided in court before determining possible disciplinary action. The St. Louis Rams defensive end was charged with felony driving while intoxicated after being arrested over the weekend. Little was suspended for eight games by the league in 1999 after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter for a 1998 accident that killed a woman. His blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit in that incident, and he was sentenced to 90 days in a work house, 1,000 hours community service and four years probation. He is being charged in this incident under a 2001 law that makes drunk driving a felony for a persistent offender with a history of involuntary manslaughter, and reportedly faces a possible four-year prison term if convicted. . . .
University of Miami running back Jarrett Payton signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans yesterday.
Payton, the son of late NFL Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, ran for 985 yards and seven touchdowns in his final season with the Hurricanes. He had a big game against Florida State in the Orange Bowl, running for 131 yards in a 16-14 win.
