news-record.com

The Seattle Seahawks have signed first-round draft choice Aaron Curry to a contract believed to guarantee the star linebacker from Wake Forest $34 million, a person familiar with the deal said Saturday night.

The contract is the richest for a rookie non-quarterback in NFL history and has a maximum value of $60 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Seahawks haven't announced the agreement's financial terms.

Curry, the No. 4 pick overall last spring, made a surprise appearance at Saturday's practice, sprinting onto the field almost 30 minutes into the session to boisterous applause from Seahawks fans at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton, Wash.

"I am just as excited to be out here and just to see the emotion from the fans and get back with my team is just an amazing feeling," he said.

On his first play, Curry was matched up against tight end Cameron Morrah, and was roasted on a square-in route. One fan sarcastically yelled out, "Welcome to the NFL."

STEELERS: Running back Willie Parker sat out Pittsburgh's practice with back spasms, although the team doesn't believe the problem is serious.

Coach Mike Tomlin said the two-time Pro Bowl running back and North Carolina alumnus awoke Saturday morning with his back not feeling right. The Steelers were coming off their only night practice of training camp.

"It shouldn't be a big, major deal, but we wanted to exercise caution," Tomlin said.

Parker, 28, is coming off his worst season since becoming the Steelers' starting running back in 2005. Knee and shoulder injuries limited him to 11 games in 2008 and he gained 791 yards on 210 carries, averaging a career-low 3.8 yards per attempt.

The 5-foot-10, 208-pound Parker is heading into the final season of his contract and is expected to lose some carries to second-year running back Rashard Mendenhall.

REDSKINS: The defense remains ahead of the offense at the Washington Redskins training camp. The team's annual intrasquad scrimmage reinforced the point.

Quarterback Jason Campbell had his first drive stall in the end zone, and he later threw an interception. Injuries along the offensive line have hampered the offense's progress this year, while the defense is much improved with the additions of Albert Haynesworth and Brian Orakpo.

Orakpo has been perhaps the most pleasant surprise of camp. The No. 13 overall pick from Texas has fit in comfortably in his transition from defensive end to linebacker.

The Redskins play their first exhibition game Thursday at Baltimore.

HALL OF FAME GAME: When Terrell Owens makes his debut in a Bills uniform today, little does he realize how much influence a certain newly inducted member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame had in getting him to Buffalo.

That person would be team owner Ralph Wilson.

Frustrated with missing the playoffs for nine straight years and unhappy with how his franchise had been relegated to secondary status, Wilson decided to stir things up in early March, a day after Owens was released by Dallas.

Wilson will begin finding out when the Bills help usher in the preseason by facing the Tennessee Titans in the Hall of Fame Game, which kicks off the NFL schedule.

GIANTS: A number of details in Eli Manning's new contract still need to be ironed out before the New York Giants quarterback signs the $97 million, six-year extension that will make him the NFL's highest-paid player based on annual salary.

Three days after the agreement was reached, Giants general manager Jerry Reese said that lawyers for the two sides are still putting the final touches on the deal that will keep Manning with the Giants through 2015.

"There's no timetable," Reese said. "Hopefully, it will be done sooner than later."

Reese refused to comment when asked whether an issue about marketing Manning was holding up the contact, saying he never discusses what is in a contract.

Manning, who will earn $15.3 million annually under the deal, has refused to talk about his new contract until it is signed.

Manning's big brother, quarterback Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts, averages $14.17 million. The NFL's highest-paid player this season will be Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers, who signed a one-year, $16.7 million deal earlier this year.