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NFL: Former Eagle Cary Williams picks Seattle

A person with knowledge of the negotiations said free-agent cornerback Cary Williams intends on signing with the Seattle Seahawks when NFL free agency officially begins on Tuesday.

Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis (right) , a top free agent, may find that championship rings are just as valuable as huge bank accounts. ELISE AMENDOLA / AP
Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis (right) , a top free agent, may find that championship rings are just as valuable as huge bank accounts. ELISE AMENDOLA / APRead more

A person with knowledge of the negotiations said free-agent cornerback Cary Williams intends on signing with the Seattle Seahawks when NFL free agency officially begins on Tuesday.

Bolstering a beaten-up secondary has become a priority for the Seahawks and Williams fits a need. The Seahawks are expected to lose Byron Maxwell to the Eagles and have injury concerns regarding Jeremy Lane and Tharold Simon, leaving Seattle thin with arguably its most talented position group headed into next season.

Williams started every game the last four seasons, two of those with the Eagles. Last season, he had 59 tackles and nine passes defensed for the Eagles.

Texans release Johnson

Andre Johnson was released by the Houston Texans, and quarterback Ryan Mallett agreed to return to the team on Monday.

A 12-year veteran, Johnson, the longest-tenured Texan, was a first-round draft pick in 2003, joining the expansion team in its second season.

The 33-year-old Johnson had 85 catches for 936 yards last season, but the Texans were beginning to see DeAndre Hopkins as their top receiving threat.

Johnson is a seven-time Pro Bowler with seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons and has 1,012 receptions with 13,597 yards receiving in his career.

McCourty staying put

Safety Devin McCourty says he's returning to the New England Patriots for five more years.

Cornerback Darrelle Revis could be gone.

McCourty said that he's happy to stay with the Super Bowl champions, telling Patriots fans on Twitter on Monday: "Let's go win another Super Bowl ... or 5."

Also Monday, ESPN reported that the Patriots have decided not to pick up Revis' $20 million option, instead allowing him to become a free agent. A Patriots spokesman said he didn't anticipate any comment from the team on Monday.

Rams release Long

The St. Louis Rams released starting offensive linemen Jake Long and Scott Wells on the eve of free agency, freeing $12.5 million in salary-cap space.

Both players have been injury-prone.

Offensive line was a target in free agency for St. Louis before making the moves Monday. A third lineman, tackle Joe Barksdale, is an unrestricted free agent.

Long, the first overall pick in 2008 and a four-time Pro Bowler, missed nine games last season with a second torn ACL in two years. Wells started every game but was hampered throughout by a right arm injury that had him wearing a brace much of the year.

Hartline, Browns agree

The Browns found help at wide receiver. Brian Hartline is heading home.

Released last month by the Miami Dolphins after six seasons, Hartline agreed to terms with Cleveland on a two-year, $6 million contract. The Browns confirmed the agreement and said a formal announcement will be made Tuesday, when teams can begin signing unrestricted free agents.

Manziel still in rehab

Johnny Manziel's commitment to fixing his personal life has the Browns feeling positive about his future as a quarterback.

Browns coach Mike Pettine confirmed that Manziel, whose disastrous rookie season in Cleveland was followed by him seeking help for an undisclosed issue, remains in a rehab treatment facility. Manziel entered a private facility in Ohio on Jan. 28, and Pettine said there is not a specific date for the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner to be released.

Tampering teams?

The NFL is looking into whether some teams entered agreements with 2015 free agents before they were allowed to do so.

The league sent a memo to the 32 clubs reminding them not to reach agreement with or sign any of the 2015 free agents until Tuesday at 4 p.m. The memo noted a "reported number of agreements."

Among those are big-money deals for Ndamukong Suh with Miami, Jeremy Maclin with Kansas City, and Frank Gore and Byron Maxwell with the Eagles. Gore reportedly has backed out of the deal.

"At this time, the league office is beginning investigations into a number of reported agreements with clubs," the memo said. "Violations will be dealt with accordingly."

Teams were given a three-day window beginning Saturday to meet with representatives of free agents. The league's business year begins Tuesday. In the wake of many reported contract agreements, the NFL issued the warning.

L.A. stadium in doubt

Plans have been abandoned for an NFL stadium in downtown Los Angeles, the developer announced Monday.

As recently as late last year, AEG's Farmers Field project was the front-runner for returning the league to the region, but with no franchise attached and two competing projects emerging that have NFL owners on board, the downtown plan went into a steep and speedy decline.