NAPA, Calif. -- Oakland Raiders rookie wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey signed a five-year contract that will guarantee him at least $23.5 million.
Heyward-Bey joined the team in time to participate in Thursday's afternoon practice session, their second of this year's training camp.
Signing status of first-round picks
Darrius Heyward-Bey agreed to a five-year deal with the Raiders, but he's
in the minority among first-round choices. Most
of the top picks have yet to reach a contract. **The list ...**
"It feels great to get it done," he said. "I wanted to be here as soon as possible. I told my team that, and we got the job done."
The Raiders didn't reveal terms of the contract, but a person involved in the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in April's draft, will receive a base salary of $38.25 million over the extent of the contract, along with the guarantee.
The seventh pick in last year's draft, Sedrick Ellis, received $19.5 million in guaranteed money from the New Orleans Saints.
"I think it's big because we want him to be a big part of the offense," Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said after hearing reports of Heyward-Bey's deal. "Everybody was waiting on him to come in. I think that's great that he signed."
The Raiders were able to finish the deal with Heyward-Bey missing only one training-camp practice. The team was dealt a serious setback in 2007 when No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell missed all of training camp and didn't sign a contract until after the first game of the regular season. The quarterback's rookie season was almost a complete loss, and the team still considered Russell a rookie for most of last year.
"He needs to be here," Russell said. "I missed a whole lot. ... I hope he gets here and gets a chance to work with us."
Heyward-Bey was a controversial pick by the Raiders, who passed over more highly touted receivers such as Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin to take the fastest one in the draft.
The Raiders are counting on a big contribution from Heyward-Bey this season. They need plenty of help at wide receiver after having just 82 catches from the position last season, led by Johnnie Lee Higgins' 22, and needed their star rookie in camp.
"It can hurt your development as a player," Asomugha said. "When you're coming into training camp as a rookie, you have to be there to see how it goes. You have to get into a groove. In 2007, that didn't happen. That's good to get it out of the way now. He only missed one practice. It's good for him."
To make roster room for Heyward-Bey, the Raiders released quarterback Andrew Walter. A third-round pick in 2005, Walter once was viewed as the quarterback of the future in Oakland, but he went 2-6 as a starter in 2006 under coach Art Shell and never was given another chance, losing his only start in his final two seasons with the Raiders.
Walter had been looking to leave Oakland the past two years and now has his chance to sign with another team. Walter has completed 52.3 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
"I'm very excited for a fresh start," Walter said. "We'll see what happens. The only thing different that I would have hoped for is that it would have happened earlier. Things haven't changed since February, and it occurred just now."
The deal with Heyward-Bey was the highlight on a first day of practice that featured a heavy dose of fundamentals.
The Raiders repeatedly lined up and snapped the ball before a whistle immediately blew to stop the play. That's because the focus was on proper footwork and alignment instead of running plays and hitting.
New motto for Raiders
that have symbolized the franchise throughout
its history. **More ...**
"Minicamp is a lot like going to Disneyland," Raiders coach Tom Cable said. "You get through it and enjoy it, and you're learning all that, and to me, this is like the U.S. Open, every shot counts. Every practice, every rep. ... Every rep counts because you're learning something, you're getting back, getting your mind lined up right."
The Raiders will spend the first four days of training camp working on the mental part of the game more than the physical. There will be lots of individual drills, time spent reinstalling the schemes taught in the offseason and the aborted plays. Next week, the players will finally on put their pads and practice.
The get-back-to-basics focus is definitely different, but the players say it was needed on a team that's coming off its sixth straight season of at least 11 losses. The Raiders are hoping for something different this year under Cable.
The Raiders were almost at full strength at the start of camp. Former Pro Bowl defensive end Derrick Burgess hasn't reported to camp as he looks to be traded. Left guard Robert Gallery is out after undergoing an emergency appendectomy, and wide receiver Javon Walker was placed on the physically unable to perform list after offseason knee surgery.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
