NFL roundup: Parcells won't coach Saints

Former NFL head coach Bill Parcells will stay retired.

Suspended New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton had reached out to Parcells about taking control of the franchise, but sources told ESPN Senior NFL Insider Chris Mortensen that he preferred to remain out of the game.

Mortensen also reported that assistant head coach Joe Vitt, who will serve a six-game suspension at the start of the season, was a likely candidate to become interim head coach.

Payton, Vitt and general manager Mickey Loomis appealed their respective suspensions in light of the team's bounty scandal. The league announced Monday that all three of those suspensions were upheld.

---Denver Broncos receiver Eric Decker is convinced that Peyton Manning has the arm strength to start in the NFL, after having spent the past three weeks working out with the team's new quarterback.

Decker told "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" on ESPN Radio on Tuesday that he saw nothing during the workouts to suggest that Manning's arm strength has diminished due to the neck surgeries that caused him to miss the 2011 season.

"The guy's still throwing it great, hitting you in the right spot," Decker told Cowherd. "He's such a perfectionist. If he hits you in the belly button, he gets mad at himself for not hitting you in the chest. It's unbelievable to be around a guy who has those standards for himself."

---Former NFL offensive player Kyle Turley, who in recent years has become a strong advocate for protecting players, is disgusted by the New Orleans Saints' bounty program and, specifically, the audio of Gregg Williams' pre-game speech before a playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers playoff game.

"For that to be said (by Williams) with all the information out there on concussions and the damaging effects that stem from it ... this is life-or-death stuff," Turley, who played for the Saints from 1998-2002, told FoxSports.com. "It has helped lead to death for many guys and contributed to so many other horrible things in players' lives after football."

Turley himself continues to experience neurological issues believed to originate from concussions sustained when he played.

"Where (Williams) goes into the most detail and the change in his voice becomes viciousness is when he talks about concussions. That just blew my mind," Turley said.

---The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released Tanard Jackson after the safety failed a physical, the team announced.

"I was a little shocked, but the person I am, I accept how it comes," Jackson told the Tampa Bay Times. "I realize it's a business. It's hard to be too upset with decision because of what I've been through and I have no hard feelings toward the organization and wish them the best. I really don't know, maybe it was because I wasn't doing rehab here in Tampa after surgery but doing it in New Orleans with trainers up there. They just said they were going in a different direction. That's the way it was given to me."

Jackson was also suspended for a year in 2010 for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Last season, he started 10 games and had 35 tackles and two interceptions.

---The Carolina Panthers officially announced Tuesday a three-year extension for wide receiver Steve Smith.

Smith, 32, has spent his entire 11-year career with the Panthers, and ranks first in team history with 59 receiving touchdowns. He has made a catch in a team-record 75 straight games dating to 2006.

In 2011, Smith became the 35th player in NFL history to reach 10,000 career receiving yards.

---In preparation for the upcoming NFL Draft, the Redskins are meeting with Tuesday with Robert Griffin III, the team's likely selection with the No. 2 overall pick.

Griffin, who will likely become the Redskins' quarterback of the future once the Indianapolis Colts draft Peyton Manning, won't work out for the team.

Luck is also expected to arrive Tuesday night and will meet with the team, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The Colts have already had a private workout with Luck at Stanford last week and are expected to select the former Cardinal quarterback at No. 1 overall.

---Miami Dolphins pass-rusher Cameron Wake is looking for a new contract, and skipped the start of the team's voluntary offseason workout program Tuesday, according to an ESPN report.

Wake has one year and $650,000 left on his contract, but ESPN reported that Wake won't participate without a new deal.

Wake, who made the Pro Bowl in 2010 with 14 sacks, signed a four-year, $4.9 million deal in 2009 out of the Canadian Football League, including $1 million guaranteed.

The 30-year-old has 122 tackles and 28 sacks in three NFL seasons

--- The eye injury to Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Terrance Knighton that required surgery resulted from being hit in the face with a bottle during an altercation at a Jacksonville nightclub, according to a report by the Florida Times-Union.

Knight issued a Twitter post Tuesday, which read, "Thank you everyone for the support. I plan on making a full recovery. Thank you fans, family and friends."

It does not appear the injury will cause long-term damage and is not expected to threaten Knight's football career.

Knighton's agent, Tony Fleming, told the Times-Union that Knighton did not throw any punches and was trying to break up a fight involving a friend. He also told the paper that, contrary to a police report, Knighton did not threaten to shoot anyone.

No arrests were made.

---Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and wife Candice Crawford welcomed their first child, son Hawkins Crawford Romo, Monday night.

The baby boy weighed eight pounds, eight ounces, the Cowboys announced.

Romo is free from team obligations until the first organized team activities begin next month.

---The Steelers signed tight end Leonard Pope to a one-year contract on Tuesday.

Pope played for offensive coordinator Todd Haley in Arizona and Kansas City. At 6-8, 264, he is an effective blocker and short-yardage receiver.

Pope was a third-round pick in 2006 out of Georgia and began his career with the Cardinals.

---The Redskins announced the signing of cornerback Leigh Torrence, who spent two seasons with the team earlier in his career, and are close to a deal with another defensive back.

Madieu Williams is expected to sign a contract with the Redskins this week after also visiting the Atlanta Falcons and weighing offers from both teams.

Williams played sparingly for the 49ers last season but brings a veteran presence to a secondary with a depth chart unlikely to be sorted out until training camp.

---The Vikings announced the signing of free agent linebacker Marvin Mitchell, who played four of his first five NFL seasons with the Saints, including the 2009 team that beat the Vikings in the NFC Championship game.

Mitchell, 27, spent last season with the Vikings and has been primarily used on special teams coverage. He's started two of the 71 games in his career.

---The Dolphins signed defensive lineman Phillip Merling and offensive tackle Lydon Murtha to their restricted free agent tenders, the team announced.

Merling is entering his fifth season in the NFL, all with the Miami Dolphins. Merling has played in 47 career games with five starts. Murtha is entering his third season in the NFL. He has played in nine career games, with four starts.