SAN DIEGO -- Shawne Merriman signed his one-year, $3.269 million tender with the Chargers on Friday, admitting his two-week holdout didn't accomplish anything.
The star outside linebacker won't play in Saturday night's preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, but Chargers coach Norv Turner expects Merriman to be ready by the following weekend's game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Merriman, once one of the most-feared players in the NFL, stood on the sideline watching Friday's walkthrough, the sleeves on his jersey rolled up to expose his tattooed arms.
"I think it was time for me to come in and get ready," said Merriman, who's trying to regain the form that resulted in 39½ sacks in his first three seasons. "You can't show up Game 1, Game 2, whatever, and expect to be ready. The only way to emulate football is to play football."
Merriman softened his stance on a handful of issues, including one in which he was quoted as saying he wanted the Chargers to tell him he wouldn't be traded during the season.
"Everybody's on the trading block, so I don't think that was a question at all," Merriman said. "I think it was more of it being talked about so much. We have bigger fish to fry, and that's to play the Kansas City Chiefs (in the season opener Sept. 13) and get ready for them.
"At no point in time did I want my conversation on where I'm going to play or what's going to happen be bigger than us getting ready for a game. At some point, it got there. That's what I wanted to stay away from. But I'm happy to be back here for another year, to come out and finish what we started with these guys. There's no better way to do it."
So did Merriman accomplish anything by not being in camp?
"No, I didn't accomplish anything at all because I always knew that I was wanted here and that was one of the biggest reasons for getting some things sorted out," he said. "But just the whole business part of it you just hate to deal with. I'm just so glad that that's behind me now where I can go out and play."
Merriman said he expressed his concerns to Chargers general manager A.J. Smith a few times, including during a phone conversation Thursday.
"We obviously have the same goals, trying to accomplish the same things, and sometimes in between, things get a little mixed up and they shouldn't be," Merriman said. "But ultimately we have the same goals, to come out and be a championship ballclub."
Smith, not a fan of Merriman's celebrity-leaning pursuits away from football, didn't return a call seeking comment.
The Chargers still have two high-profile holdouts. Left tackle Marcus McNeill and Pro Bowl wide receiver Vincent Jackson have refused to sign their tenders because they want long-term deals.
McNeill's agent, Alvin Keels, confirmed in an e-mail Friday that the Chargers have threatened to place the player on the roster exempt list if he doesn't sign his tender by next Friday. Jackson's agent, Neil Schwartz, didn't return a call or e-mail, but it would seem to follow suit that the Chargers also would threaten his client with the same treatment.
By being placed on the roster exempt list, McNeill and Jackson couldn't play for three games after signing. However, the players are believed to be willing to hold out through the season's first 10 games, returning for the final six to gain an accrued season. Jackson already has been suspended by the NFL for the first three games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. Being placed on the roster exempt list would force McNeill and Jackson to move up their return, if they intend to play at all this season.
In 2005, Smith used the same move on tight end Antonio Gates, who missed the season opener. Gates could have been a factor when the Chargers had four cracks at the end zone from the Dallas Cowboys' 7-yard line in the final minute before losing 28-24. The Chargers eventually missed the playoffs that year.
Merriman also backed off an earlier statement that he wanted to be on a team where the defense was built around him.
Asked if that would be the situation with the Chargers, he said: "Absolutely not. It wasn't intended for any defense or anything like that to be built around me. I want to be a big part of this team for the next five, seven years, whatever it is. I've never been a guy that wanted anything built around me because I always believe that if you put me on the field, I'm going to be able to make plays. You don't have to do anything around me at all. I'm just happy to be here and do my part, and do my part as I have for the last five years."
Merriman also said he wanted people to stop dwelling on talk about a long-term deal with the Chargers, "because as you saw in '08, it can be over and you can be out. I'm going to continue to take it year by year. I know I'm wanted here and that's good enough for me."
Nicknamed "Lights Out" because of his punishing hits, Merriman missed the final 15 games of the 2008 season after having reconstructive knee surgery. He was limited to four sacks last season as he bounced back from the knee surgery and dealt with other injuries.
Merriman was a force during his first three NFL seasons, although he served a four-game suspension in 2006 after testing positive for steroids. He had a career-high 17 sacks in 12 games that season.
Turner said Merriman has plenty of time to prepare for the season opener.
"I know what he brings to our football team -- he brings another outstanding football player with a real competitive attitude," Turner said. "I think (that) rubs off on everybody and that will help everybody else."
The four-time AFC West champion Chargers are trying to bounce back from an embarrassing 17-14 wild-card playoff loss to the New York Jets.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
