Caldwell Spurns Redskins, Signs Deal With St. Louis

Wide receiver Reche Caldwell rejected the Washington Redskins' contract offer and agreed to terms with the St. Louis Rams, a league source said yesterday. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately available.

The Redskins had offered Caldwell a one-year minimum contract that would have paid him $730,000 next season. Wide receiver D.J. Hackett also rejected Washington's minimum offer, signing a two-year, $3.5 million contract with the Carolina Panthers last week.

Caldwell, who signed with the Redskins on Sept. 11, appeared in eight games last season, catching 15 passes for 141 yards. While playing for the New England Patriots in the 2006 season, Caldwell had 61 receptions for 760 yards and four touchdowns.

The Redskins re-signed offensive lineman Jason Fabini yesterday to a one-year contract for an undisclosed amount. Fabini, a 10-year veteran, had a minimum salary of $720,000 last season, and players with 10 or more seasons in the NFL will receive salaries of at least $830,000 next season. Fabini, a tackle for his first nine seasons, replaced starting right guard Randy Thomas, who tore his triceps in Week 2. . . .

Michael Vick's trial on Virginia dogfighting charges, set for April 2, was rescheduled for June 27. Surry County Circuit Judge W. Allan Sharrett set a trial date suggested by Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald Poindexter and Vick's lawyers. Trials for two co-defendants also were postponed.

The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback is serving a 23-month prison term in Leavenworth, Kan., after pleading guilty to federal conspiracy charges relating to a dogfighting operation. Poindexter cited the logistics of getting a federal prisoner into state court as the reason for the delays. . . .

Adam"Pacman" Jones offered a three-hour mea culpa with someone who knows what it's like to be an NFL outcast. The cornerback, suspended from the NFL and unlikely to rejoin the Tennessee Titans if he gets to play again, was a guest on Michael Irvin's radio show amid speculation he could become the Dallas Cowboys' next project.

He spoke about the Titans in the past tense, said he wanted to be a Cowboy and expressed confidence that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would reinstate him.

"I'm not sitting here telling you I don't own up to mistakes I've made," Jones said. "I accept everything, the punishment, everything that comes along with the bad decisions and bad choices I've made. In the end, I just pray to God I get a second chance."

-- Jason Reid and News Services