■ Saints: New Orleans agreed to contract terms with safety Chip Vaughn and punter Thomas Morstead yesterday as players reported to training camp for conditioning tests and meetings. Vaughn, from Wake Forest, was a fourth-round draft choice, and Morstead, from Southern Methodist, was taken in the fifth round.
The Saints are still trying to sign first-round pick Malcolm Jenkins, a cornerback from Ohio State who was selected 14th overall.
■ Vikings: Defensive end Kenechi Udeze has decided to retire, ending a remarkable comeback from leukemia.
He says his leukemia is still in remission. But he's still dealing with side effects from treatment and is unable to play. Udeze, a first-round draft pick in 2004, was a starter for four years and tied for the team lead with five sacks in 2007.
Doctors diagnosed his leukemia in February 2008, and Udeze spent last season on the reserve/non-football-illness list. He had a marrow transplant more than a year ago and was on the field for practices throughout the spring and summer, saying at a minicamp in May he was "feeling pretty good."
■ Patriots: Defensive end Ty Warren of New England is starting training camp on the active physically unable to perform list. Also on the list, announced yesterday, are linebacker Shawn Crable, offensive linemen Mark LeVoir and Rich Ohrnberger and defensive lineman Darryl Richard.
The team also put cornerback Shawn Springs and wide receiver Brandon Tate on the active non-football injury list. Players on the active PUP list can return in training camp when the team decides they're ready.
■ Packers: Mark Murphy, Green Bay's president and CEO, drew cheers yesterday when he addressed the Brett Favre situation at the team's annual shareholders meeting.
Speaking to about 7,500 shareholders of the NFL's only publicly owned franchise, Murphy praised the way the team handled Favre's unretirement drama and subsequent trade. Afterward, he reiterated a pledge to eventually retire Favre's jersey.
■ Michael Vick: Michael Vick said yesterday that he's getting close to signing with a pro team but refused to elaborate. He made the comment to reporters as he left a courtroom in Newport News, Va., after a hearing in his bankruptcy case. Asked about his progress in signing, Vick said: "We're getting close." He declined to answer additional questions.
Vick, 29, did not speak during the hearing. Afterward, the U.S. bankruptcy trustee and an attorney for Vick's creditors shook Vick's hand and congratulated him on his reinstatement. Vick thanked them and said, "It's exactly what I needed at this point in my life."
In Massachusetts yesterday, Coach Bill Belichick of the Patriots, when asked his thoughts about Vick's possible return, praised Vick's athleticism, but left it at that, not saying whether his team is interested in Vick.
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