Raiders tender Gradkowski
3/4/2010ALAMEDA, Calif. - The Oakland Raiders have tendered contracts to quarterback Bruce Gradkowski and six other restricted free agents.
Gradkowski, who played at the University of Toledo, got a second-round tender yesterday. That means he will get at least $1.759 million if he makes the team next season. The Raiders also have the right to match any offer sheet he signs with another team or receive a second-round pick as compensation.
Gradkowski will compete for the starting quarterback job next season with former No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell.
CLEVELAND - Hank Fraley was happy to fill in anywhere the Cleveland Browns needed him. Center, guard, even tight end. He went wherever.
Yesterday, he was told the Browns no longer had a spot for him.
A 10-year veteran, the versatile Fraley, who bailed the Browns out when LeCharles Bentley was injured in 2006, was released by Cleveland two weeks before he was due a roster bonus. The move was made in preparation for free agency, where the Browns have been among the NFL's most active teams in recent years.
Fraley said he was "shocked" by the news.
"I just wish they would have told me a few weeks ago," Fraley said.
Fraley made 52 starts in 63 games for the Browns, who acquired him in a trade from Philadelphia before the 2006 season after Bentley, then the club's top free-agent signing, sustained a career-ending knee injury in the first contact scrimmage of training camp.
Fraley made 48 consecutive starts for Cleveland from 2006-08. But last season, he lost his starting job to rookie Alex Mack.
INDIANAPOLIS - Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning has undergone neck surgery to relieve pain caused by a pinched nerve.
The team says the injury has caused intermittent pain in Manning's neck for the past four years but never affected his training, practice or playing regimen.
Manning is expected to participate in the team's offseason workouts.
Manning has never missed a start in his 12-year career. His streak of 210 consecutive starts, including the playoffs, is second all-time among quarterbacks to Brett Favre.