NFL | Joey Harrington won't fly with Atlanta Falcons

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons released quarterback Joey Harrington on Wednesday, leaving the team with only two quarterbacks as it prepares to address the position in the NFL draft.

The Falcons also cut veteran quarterback Byron Leftwich last month.

The release of Harrington may increase the chances the team will take a quarterback, perhaps Matt Ryan, with the No. 3 overall selection in the draft.

Ryan, from Boston College, is widely considered the top quarterback in the draft.

The Falcons re-signed Chris Redman to a two-year deal last week, but the only other quarterbacks on the roster are D.J. Shockley and Michael Vick. Shockley has never played in a regular-season game and Vick is serving a 23-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to federal charges in a dogfighting operation.

Following five seasons with the Lions and one year in Miami, Harrington signed a two-year, $6 million contract to become Vick's backup. He moved into the starting role when Vick's legal problems began.

Harrington might have remained to serve as the mentor for a young quarterback, but Redman has assumed the role of veteran stand-in.

Aikman not so sure

Favre is done

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Troy Aikman says it's a sure thing: Brett Favre will have second thoughts about hanging up his helmet.

The Hall of Fame quarterback knows how hard it is to walk away from the NFL and never look back. Even after a series of concussions led Aikman to retire from the Dallas Cowboys after the 2000 season, he was tempted to come back two years later.

"I was ready to go and had talked with my wife and everything about it," Aikman told The Associated Press.

Aikman figures Favre will feel the same pull the closer the 2008 season gets. And he wouldn't be surprised if Favre changes his mind and sends heir apparent Aaron Rodgers back to the bench.

"You want to walk out on top," said Aikman, now an analyst for Fox Sports. "But at the same time, you're walking away from something you really enjoy."

Favre told the Green Bay Packers he was retiring Tuesday, but hasn't addressed the media beyond a brief voice mail to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, citing fatigue. Favre is to discuss his decision at a news conference today in Green Bay.

Notes

• The Oakland Raiders have agreed to terms with former Pro Bowl receiver Javon Walker and free-agent offensive tackle Kwame Harris, adding two offensive players the team hopes will help quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

Walker will receive a $6 million signing bonus and $5 million in salary in each of the first two years. The six-year deal could be worth up to $55 million, a person familiar with the contract said on condition of anonymity because the terms were not released. Harris is guaranteed $3 million in the first year of his deal that would pay him $16 million over three years, the person said.

• Terrell Suggs has filed a grievance against the Ravens, saying he should be designated as a defensive end instead of a linebacker. The Ravens used the franchise tag on Suggs on Feb. 19, keeping him off the free-agent market with a one-year tender worth $8.065 million (the average of the five highest-paid linebackers in the NFL).

But Suggs wants the one-year tag of $8.879 million for defensive ends — $814,000 more than what linebackers receive.

• New England re-signed wide receiver Jabar Gaffney, who had 36 receptions for 449 yards and a career-high five touchdowns last season. His biggest was for the winning TD with 44 seconds left in Baltimore that kept alive New England's unbeaten streak at 12 games en route to a 16-0 regular-season mark.

• Carolina added depth to the defensive line by coming to terms with free agent Tyler Brayton on a two-year deal. The Panthers also re-signed reserve linebacker and special-teams player Donte Curry to a two-year deal. He played in seven games last season.

• Free-agent linebackers Matt McCoy and Teddy Lehman signed with Tampa Bay.

• Jacksonville signed defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy and three other free agents: offensive tackles Pete McMahon and Ryan Gibbons and long-snapper Brett Goode.