From combined dispatches
Three-time Pro Bowl linebacker DeMarcus Ware and the Dallas Cowboys finally agreed on a contract extension: a six-year deal through the 2015 season.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he shook hands with Ware before the Cowboys’ 37-21 victory over Atlanta on Sunday. The paperwork was finalized Monday.
Ware, who was in the final season of the contract he signed after being the 11th pick in the 2005 draft, has 57 1/2 sacks in 70 regular-season games.
A report on the Cowboys’ Web site said Ware’s deal was for $78 million, an average of $16 million, with $40 million guaranteed.
CHIEFS: Kansas City running back Larry Johnson used a gay slur for the second time in as many days, the Kansas City Star reported.
Johnson refused to speak with reporters, a day after the Chiefs’ 37-7 home loss to San Diego. Sitting in front of his locker, he turned away and muttered the slur in telling reporters to get “out of here,” according to the Star.
On Sunday, Johnson belittled rookie coach Todd Haley on Twitter in a series of posts that also included the same gay slur.
Haley said the Chiefs were looking into “a couple of situations” involving Johnson but declined further comment. Asked about the slurs, he said the team was “gathering facts.”
“I will say that how our players conduct themselves with the media and through the media is very important to myself as a head coach and to the Chiefs as an organization,” Haley said.
49ERS: Alex Smith is San Francisco’s new starting quarterback.
Coach Mike Singletary made the announcement after sitting down with Shaun Hill, who was benched at halftime of the 49ers’ 24-21 loss at Houston on Sunday. Smith, who hadn’t played in nearly two years, completed his first six passes and finished 15-for-22 for 206 yards and three touchdown passes to tight end Vernon Davis as he nearly led the 49ers back from a 21-0 deficit.
JAGUARS: An ex-convict accused of shooting and paralyzing Jacksonville offensive lineman Richard Collier is going on trial.
Jury selection began Monday in the trial on attempted murder and weapons charges against Tyrone Hartsfield, 33. The Jacksonville, Fla., man is accused of shooting Collier 14 times in September 2008 as the player sat in an SUV. He and a teammate were waiting outside an apartment for two women they met at a nightclub.
DOLPHINS: Miami cornerback Will Allen is out for the season with a left knee injury.
Allen hurt his ACL in the third quarter of the Dolphins’ loss to New Orleans and will require surgery, coach Tony Sparano said.
JETS: Leon Washington’s versatility makes him difficult for opponents to defend against and even tougher for New York to replace.
Rex Ryan and the Jets will be without Washington for the rest of the season after placing the running back-kick returner on season-ending injured reserve with a broken right leg.
“It’s horribly unfortunate and really makes you think about how quickly things can be taken from you,” center Nick Mangold said.
In other Jets news, authorities said receiver Braylon Edwards was charged with misdemeanor assault for punching a man outside a Cleveland nightclub. Cleveland city prosecutor Victor Perez filed the charge Monday. It carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
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