12:46 AM CDT on Friday, July 29, 2005

Brett Martel / Associated Press

Deuce McAllister agreed to a seven-year contract extension with the New Orleans Saints on Thursday, a deal that McAllister said would make him one of the highest paid running backs in the NFL.

Associated Press

Deuce McAllister takes a dive for the Saints

"I basically know that they're putting everything on my shoulders and I'm big enough that I can carry it," McAllister said. "I want the pressure. I want the ball because I want to get us in the playoffs where we haven't been" during McAllister's four years as a pro.

The deal was announced a half-hour before the Saints' first mandatory meeting of training camp, although McAllister said he never planned to hold out.

"I wanted to be out here with the guys and I wanted to continue to prepare," said McAllister, who did hold out his rookie season. "I didn't want to dampen anything by being a hold out or being disruptive and basically just messing up the whole flow of what they've been working on."

Jammal Brown, the Saints top pick in this year's draft, did not show up Thursday night. He became the Saints' sixth top pick in a row to report late because of a contract holdout. Brown and injured fourth-round pick Chase Lyman, who is injured, were the only two players who did not show up.

Saints officials and McAllister declined to say precisely how much McAllister would be paid, but the star running back said it would make him the highest paid player in franchise history and approach that of LaDainian Tomlinson, the NFL's highest-paid back.

Tomlinson has an eight-year, $60 million contract.

McAllister's agent, Ben Dogra, did not immediately return messages left on his office and cell phones.

McAllister bought his first car -- a Mercedes -- after receiving his rookie contract, but said there would be no such purchase this time.

"It's more so for my family than anything. ... My nephews, their future is basically secure as far as college is concerned," McAllister said. "Nothing else has changed. I'll still be the same guy. It moves me up in tax brackets, but that's about it."

Entering his fifth season, McAllister has run for 4,194 yards. Most of that came during the past three seasons. He had only 91 yards rushing his rookie season, when he backed up Ricky Williams.

Williams was traded to Miami after that season, and McAllister has not run for fewer than 1,000 yards since. He also has been a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield.

His best season was 2003, when he ran for 1,641 yards and had 516 yards receiving. Last season, he played through a sprained right ankle and still managed 1,074 yards rushing.

With a revamped offensive line, New Orleans has sought to simplify its play book and rely more heavily on the run -- a plan tailored for the 6-foot-1, 232-pound McAllister.

"You thrive on that and I think that helped me in training, because you know you'll be getting the ball 30-35 times per game," McAllister said. "You weren't going into a game wondering whether you were going to get it 10 or 15 or 20 times. I'm a guy that wants the ball and I think this offense, this team, is committed to doing that."

McAllister's teammates have shown an admiration approaching reverence for the soft-spoken native of Lena, Miss. And it was that, as much as McAllister's running ability, that led the Saints to offer a top-tier contract, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said.

"It's obviously a big deal, Deuce deserves that," Loomis said. "We believe in him as a leader on our team. ... We wouldn't trade Deuce for any other running back."

McAllister's contract announcement capped a day of players' arrivals at a suburban hotel the Saints use during training camp.

And most players gushed about apparent improvements in team chemistry that began to take shape during last year's four-game winning streak to close out the season -- a streak that may have saved coach Jim Haslett's job.

"When I first came here the work ethic was kind of nonchalant, coming from Tampa," said running back Aaron Stecker, who helped the Buccaneers win a Super Bowl three seasons ago.

But since the streak and throughout the offseason workouts, Stecker said, "There's just been a better camaraderie, and in the locker room there's a better feel."

Special teams standout and backup safety Steve Gleason, entering his sixth season with the Saints, said he sensed improved attitudes across the roster. "Some of the guys that have been young and immature and even some of the coaching staff that has been immature with certain decisions, I think some of that immaturity has disappeared," Glason said. "The key to us being a good team and getting into the postseason is that when a couple bad things happen ... that from the top down we stay very mature about the situation.

There was little jealousy regarding McAllister.

"Players around the league -- they like to see players who work as hard as Deuce and produce like Deuce rewarded," offensive guard Kendyl Jacox said. "He's going to have a monster year and we want to get it for him."

McAllister's contract was the second big one of the offseason. Receiver Joe Horn was given a six-year contract worth $42 million.

"It sends a message to the players that the organization is going to be dedicated to you," McAllister. "What we have to do is get to the playoffs."

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)