Packers RB Grant misses workouts, seeks new contract

If it wasn’t for the daily twists and turns of the Brett Favre unretirement saga, this would be considered a really big deal: running back Ryan Grant does not have a contract in place and skipped the Green Bay Packers’ first training camp practice Monday.

Grant, an exclusive rights free agent, is seeking a long-term deal with the Packers but talks appear to have broken down. Grant’s agent, Alan Herman, told the Wisconsin State Journal on Sunday that the team’s offer of a six-year deal that included $1.75 million in guaranteed money was “insulting.”

Grant, obtained in a trade with the New York Giants just before the start of the 2007 season, took over as the starter in midseason. He rushed for 956 yards and eight touchdowns. Grant then rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns in the Packers’ divisional playoff victory over Seattle.

“It’s a negotiation. It’s ongoing,” Packers General Manager Ted Thompson said. “Ryan is a good man, a good player, and we’re going to try to get him back in here. “

Until then, Grant’s absence means additional repetitions with the No. 1 offense for a group of running backs that includes Brandon Jackson and Vernand Morency.

Goodell won’t discipline Bills’ Lynch
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell personally informed Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch that he won’t be disciplined by the league for a hit-and-run accident that left a woman injured.

“I think the facts are clear on the case at this point in time, and I don’t plan any discipline,” Goodell said during a visit to Bills training camp.

Goodell based his decision on the fact that Lynch eventually agreed to plead guilty to a traffic violation, which is not a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Lynch initially faced more serious charges.

The Bills starting running back and 2007 first-round draft pick lost his license after pleading guilty to a traffic violation last month. As part of the plea agreement, Lynch admitted speeding off in his Porsche Cayenne SUV after striking a female pedestrian near Buffalo’s downtown bar district on May 31.

The victim, a 27-year-old woman from Toronto, suffered a bruised hip and a superficial cut on her thigh.

Injury report
• Receiver Chad Johnson didn’t participate in Cincinnati’s first practice because his right ankle hasn’t fully recovered from surgery. He is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. Also, Cincinnati’s defense suffered a setback when defensive end Antwan Odom sprained his left foot and rode off the field on a cart.

• Receiver Plaxico Burress says his ankle, not his contract, is keeping him from practicing with the New York Giants. Burress said he rolled his right ankle a couple of weeks ago while running to get in shape.

• San Francisco running back Michael Robinson will miss at least one week after undergoing arthroscopic surgery Monday on a torn meniscus in his right knee.

• Jacksonville center Brad Meester might miss the start of the season because of a strained right biceps he suffered Sunday during practice.

• St. Louis defensive end Victor Adeyanju will be sidelined two to four weeks after breaking his right middle finger in practice Sunday.

• Tennessee placekicker Rob Bironas strained his groin during a special teams drill and is day-to-day.