NFL ROUNDUP Vick becomes highest paid

It's a 10-year deal with more than $100 million and guarantees big bonuses.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Michael Vick agreed to a 10-year contract worth more than $100 million with the Atlanta Falcons that also guarantees the quarterback an NFL-record $37 million in bonuses, an official close to the negotiations said Thursday.
Vick's contract surpasses the $98 million deal Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning signed in March. Manning was guaranteed $34.5 million in bonuses.
The official, who requested anonymity, said Vick reached incentives in his original contract, a six-year, $62 million deal, that would have allowed him to void the 2005 and 2006 seasons next month. Had he done so, the 24-year-old Vick would have become an unrestricted free agent on March 2.
Vick, the No. 1 overall draft pick of 2001, has a 24-12-1 career record. He is 14-4 since returning from a broken ankle last year, and this season led the Falcons to just the third division title in franchise history.
Browns
CLEVELAND -- Unfortunately for Jeff Garcia, the worst season of his NFL career happened to be his first with the Cleveland Browns.
He hopes it's not his last.
"No way do I want to go out on this note," a relaxed Garcia said, speaking to reporters for the first time since tearing a knee ligament on Dec. 12, an injury that ended his year. "I've got a lot of football left in me."
When Garcia signed a four-year, $25 million free agent contract with Cleveland in March he never could have imagined what he would endure during a tumultuous 2004 season. The Browns suffered an endless wave of costly key injuries and have lost eight straight games after a 3-3 start.
There was Garcia's rocky relationship with former coach Butch Davis, which became strained when Davis called the three-time Pro Bowler "skittish" in the pocket. Garcia also struggled in Cleveland's offensive system from the start and was never able to work out the kinks. He found adjusting to a new home difficult, missing his Northern California roots.
And then there were injuries: a strained throwing shoulder followed by the torn knee ligament suffered on a sack in Buffalo.
The experience may have changed Garcia, but it hasn't soured the 34-year-old, who remains optimistic he can lead Cleveland's football revival. The Browns soon will begin formal interviews for a new general manager and coach. But as far as Garcia is concerned, there's no need to look for a new quarterback.
"I'm under contract here for three more years, and I want to stay," he said. "I understand that a general manager and new coach will come in and have their own thoughts, but if they feel I can help the team, I'll be happy to do it. And if it means I have to adjust some things, I'd be happy to do that, too."
Steelers
PITTSBURGH -- Inside linebacker Kendrell Bell unexpectedly practiced Thursday despite being listed as out for Sunday's game against the Ravens.
Bell, the 2001 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, has been out since Nov. 21 with a sore groin and wasn't expected to play in the team's final two games. He didn't play until the Steelers' Nov. 7 game against Philadelphia after needing surgery, then played only part-time until getting reinjured two weeks later.
49ers
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Quarterback Tim Rattay will have surgery on his throwing arm next Tuesday to correct a problem that has bothered him all season.
Rattay already has been ruled out for San Francisco's final two games because of a foot injury. He has been hampered by a sore right forearm since the beginning of training camp.