Goodell knew of the possibility of this agreement when the two sides met in New York before the commissioner made his final ruling not to shorten Jones' suspension to 10 games. The Vegas case was the primary consideration. Jones has a trickier case in Georgia that has to be resolved, but now his attorney can work exclusively on that case.

Goodell cleared the way for Jones to return to the Titans immediately after the season. To his credit, Jones has ended his affiliation with a wrestling organization, which didn't do anything to help his return to the NFL. He's also not had any other incidents, staying true to his plan to try to earn his way back into the league.

Culpepper to face Vikes? Vikings ownership should be calling Raiders coach Lane Kiffin to encourage him to do what he was hinting at Monday -- start Daunte Culpepper at quarterback. Kiffin is considering Culpepper for the starting job in Minnesota. The Raiders were able to win a game in Miami when Culpepper was motivated to beat the team that cut him. With Josh McCown struggling, a motivated Culpepper could be the perfect leader to play in a game against the team that drafted him.

The game at the Metrodome isn't sold out. Culpepper's return could draw additional interest to a game that doesn't have much flair.

Rex looks better: Even though he wasn't great, Rex Grossman looked more relaxed in his game against the Raiders Sunday.

Brian Greise's left shoulder injury isn't serious. He didn't even need an MRI. You get the feeling coach Lovie Smith would love to give Grossman one more chance. The personnel office would like to see if there is a way Grossman could get hot and spark a playoff run.

Griese has made too many turnovers in taking over for Grossman. The Bears visit Seattle Sunday.

Ravens sit down McNair: Ravens coach Brian Billick doesn't have to go through the painful experience of benching starting quarterback Steve McNair. Billick will go to Kyle Boller as a starter because of an injury.

Billick announced Tuesday evening that Boller will start Sunday's game against the Browns because of a shoulder injury to McNair. McNair has a subluxation of his left shoulder that will sideline him two or three weeks. Because the shoulder keeps popping in and out, McNair will be the third quarterback for a couple of weeks. Boller will start and Troy Smith will be the backup.

New Chiefs leader: Herm Edwards apparently felt the timing was right to make the permanent switch from Damon Huard to Brodie Croyle at quarterback.

The Chiefs were 4-5 with Huard at the helm and the offense was averaging only 15 points a game. Huard was also getting banged up with numerous hits during his nine games as a starter. Croyle was expected to be the opening day starter anyway, but he lost the job with poor showings in preseason. At 4-5, the Chiefs were looking for a spark. Edwards hopes Croyle provides it.

Larry Johnson appears to be on schedule for a return to the Chiefs lineup in a couple of weeks. Chiefs president Carl Peterson issued a statement saying that Johnson was making progress in his rehab from his foot injury and is seeing a foot specialist once a week. Some thought it was a season-ending injury, but it appears Johnson may only be out for a limited time. The fact Peterson issued a statement offers hope Johnson will be able to play sometime in November.

Losman takes lead: Even though week-to-week Tuesday statements aren't necessarily the most supportive way to name a quarterback, it's becoming clear J.P. Losman is winning over the Bills staff. Dick Jauron named Losman the starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Patriots with a statement on Tuesday.

Losman is coming off a low-scoring 13-10 win over the Dolphins. Losman has the support of lots of veterans, including Lee Evans. Plus the team is winning with Losman in charge. It will be interesting to see how Jauron handles things if the Bills lose big to the Patriots Sunday. Losman will probably be on next Tuesday's statement as the starting quarterback.

Berry big Cards loss: The Cardinals suffered a big blow losing defensive end Bertrand Berry with a season-ending triceps injury. The Cardinals placed Berry on the injured reserve list and signed defensive end Bo Schobel Tuesday.

This is the third consecutive year Berry finished the season on injured reserve. In Berry and Chike Okeafor, the Cardinals lost two of their best pass rushers for the season.

Lions' Jones steps back: In case you are wondering why Kevin Jones of the Lions had only four carries Sunday against the Cardinals and didn't get any in the second half, the answer is in his foot. The left foot, which suffered a Lisfranc injury last season, become too painful for him to continue. The team plans to give him rest during the week but may have to use T.J. Duckett more. The Lions have two games in five days, going against the Giants Sunday and the Packers on Thanksgiving Day.