Feb. 22, 2000 SportsLine wire reports

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants kept a starting cornerback and found a new backup quarterback on Tuesday, re-signing

	Related Links: Forum: Will Brown and Garrett help the Giants?
	T O P   N E W S

Conrad Hamilton and bringing former Princeton product and long-time Dallas Cowboys backup Jason Garrett back to New Jersey.

The Giants also reached a tentative contract agreement on a reported three-year contract with offensive tackle Lomas Brown, a 15-year veteran who started 10 games for Cleveland last season. The move gives the team an insurance policy in case they lose starter Roman Oben in free agency.

New York is holding the line on its offer of $15 million over five years to Oben.

Hamilton, a starter in 1998 who played three games last year because of a training camp knee injury, signed a three-year incentive-laden contract that will pay him about $4.8 million if he remains healthy.

Hamilton, who received a $300,000 signing bonus, will earn the minimum of $440,000 but his playing time incentives could push the deal to $1.3 million. He is scheduled to be paid $1.3 million next year and $1.8 million in 2002.

"If I can stay on the field I'll make a lot of money," said Hamilton, a seventh round draft choice in 1996. "I would not have accepted a contract stipulating I reach outlandish goals to get the money I deserve."

Garrett, a backup to Troy Aikman the last eight years, signed a three-year, $2.94 million contract to play behind Kerry Collins. The deal, which includes a $250,000 signing bonus, has base salaries of $440,000 this year, $750,000 next and $1.5 million in 2002 plus incentives each year.

The signing of Garrett all but ends Kent Graham's chances of rejoining the Giants. The starter last year until Collins took over for the final six games, Graham was released recently after refusing to accept a $900,000 pay cut to what Garrett got.

Hamilton is expected to start at left cornerback this season, replacing veteran free agent Phillippi Sparks, who the Giants seemingly have no interest in re-signing. Jason Sehorn, who missed the final month because of a knee injury, will start on the right side.

"My interest was with the Giants first," Hamilton said. "I wanted to get something worked out with them and I did."

Hamilton played three games last season, starting two. He had 11 tackles and one pass defended. He had 91 tackles, 17 passes defended and one interception in 1998, when he start on the right side after Sehorn was lost for the year with a knee injury in an exhibition game against the New York Jets.

Garrett, whose father, Jim, was a Giants assistant, has started nine games for the Cowboys, posting a 6-3 record with Aikman sidelined. He completed 32 passes for 314 yards, three touchdowns and an interception last season, winning a start against Green Bay and losing one to Arizona.

Garrett said he spoke with several teams, including Dallas. He noted that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones discussed the potential of working for the team as an assistant coach after playing.

"I just tried to be open to all the different possibilities out there and when I evaluated everything, this was just a very, very positive situation for me for lots of reasons, professional and personal," Garrett said of the Giants.

The 1988 Ivy League player of the year, Garrett completed 366 of 550 passes for 4,274 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in two years at Princeton. He holds school records for completion percentage in a year and a career and for the lowest percentage of passes intercepted.

Garrett seemingly is the perfect backup to Collins because he knows his role is to be ready just in case of injury. He will go to camp not expecting to challenge for the starting job.

"You have to have an ability to play without getting reps," Garrett said. "You have to be a guy who creates a positive situation for the starting quarterback and you have to be a positive influence on the football team. That's something I tried to do in Dallas and will continue to try to do here.

"Troy Aikman and I had a great relationship for a number of years and I'd like to develop the same relationship with the starter here, Kerry Collins," he added.