Giants Give Armstead Big $'s

May 10, 1999 / 8:42 PM EDT / AP

Jessie Armstead signed a seven-year, $33 million contract with the New York Giants on Monday, making him one of the NFL's highest paid linebackers.

The Giants also signed center Lance Scott, a starter much of the last two seasons, to a two-year contract, general manager Ernie Accorsi said. Terms were not immediately available.

Armstead, who has led the Giants in tackles the last three years, will receive a $6 million signing bonus, Drew Rosenhaus, his agent, said.

"It's nice getting it resolved for him and the Giants," Rosenhaus said in a telephone interview. "He has been a great player for the Giants and this puts him among the highest paid linebackers in the league, and deservedly so."

In making the deal, the Giants and Armstead, 28, tore up the remaining four years left on his current contract and wrote a new seven-year deal. By doing that the team gets some salary cap relief and it can prorate the signing bonus over the length of the contract.

The Giants will open a veterans minicamp on Tuesday at Giants Stadium.

Armstead had planned to attend the camp, Rosenhaus said, adding the start of minicamp and the signing were a coincidence.

"We wanted him in the circle of the highest paid linebackers," Accorsi said. "He deserved it."

Despite playing much of the season with a badly sprained ankle, Armstead led the Giants (8-8) with 101 tackles, 75 solos. The weakside linebacker also had five sacks, a team-high three forced fumbles and five passes defended.

Armstead, an eighth-round draft pick in 1993, is the first Giant to lead the team in tackles for three straight years since Pepper Johnson from 1990-92.

Scott, who was a free agent, will have to battle Brian Williams for the starting job this year. Williams is attempting to return to football after missing the last two seasons with an eye injury.

"He's our long snapper and our backup center and guard," Accorsi said of Scott. "He has a lot of incentives. The more he plays the more he gets."