BEREA, Ohio – Kellen Winslow Jr. was uncharacteristically humble after his first practice with the Cleveland Browns.

The rookie tight end, looking exhausted one day after a round of late-night negotiations resulted in a contract, acknowledged that he has a lot of catching up to do after a 12-day holdout.

“I am very far behind. My head is spinning,” he said. “I’ve got a lot to learn.”

Winslow, who has called himself “The Chosen One” and said he expects to surpass his father’s Hall of Fame career, signed a six-year contract Wednesday that makes him the highest paid tight end in NFL history. A team source told The Associated Press the deal has a base salary of $29 million and could be worth up to $40 million if Winslow reaches all his incentives. It includes a $16.5 million signing bonus, said the source, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

“It feels great, like I won the lottery,” Winslow said.

For Giants, it’s Warner over Manning – for now

Kurt Warner will start ahead of Eli Manning in the New York Giants exhibition opener.

Coach Tom Coughlin made that announcement Wednesday, but added that the competition for the starting job between the two-time MVP and the No. 1 pick in last April’s draft remains tight.

“Are they even? I would say “Yes,”‘ Coughlin said is designating Warner to start Friday night against Kansas City at Giants Stadium.

“Whoever has the opportunity to play with the starters, that’s who usually has his better practices. From that standpoint, they are. Now we will see how they separate out.”

Warner will play into the second quarter, with Manning running the offense until at least the middle of the third quarter. Jesse Palmer, television’s “The Bachelor,” will finish, meaning the Giants will put three celebrity QBs on the field against the Chiefs.

Cardinals’ wide receiver Boldin has torn cartilage

Wide receiver Anquan Boldin, last season’s offensive rookie of the year, had arthroscopic surgery Wednesday after tests found torn cartilage in his right knee.

Coach Dennis Green called the injury “a slight tear” and said Boldin should be able to return within weeks, suggesting he would be ready for the regular-season opener at St. Louis on Sept. 12. The Cardinals start their exhibition schedule Saturday at Minnesota.

“Very relieved,” Green said. “I think Anquan is one of the top receivers in the game. He was a Pro Bowl player last year and a great competitor. Just not having him out here yesterday and today has made a difference in our football team, but we’ll be happy when he gets back and we don’t anticipate that being very far away.”

Another wide receiver, Bryant Johnson, had a boot removed which he wore for more than a month to protect the stress fracture in his right foot. Last year’s first-round draft pick planned to return soon.

Perry practices after signing with Bengals

Chris Perry practiced Wednesday, a day after signing a five-year, $7 million contract to end an 11-day holdout.

But the running back from Michigan, the team’s first-round draft pick, was told by coach Marvin Lewis he won’t play Saturday night in the Bengals’ preseason opener at Tampa Bay.

Following the morning workout, Perry ran eight “gassers” – sprints from one sideline to the other – to help with his conditioning.

He was the only player running them.

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Lions

Linebacker Boss Bailey will miss much of the season while recovering from knee surgery.

Bailey injured his right knee in an Aug. 3 practice. He underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday in Athens, Ga., where doctors discovered torn cartilage that had not shown up in previous tests.

“The damage was worse than anyone had realized from the tests,” Lions coach Steve Mariucci said. “The doctor immediately repaired it, but Boss will be off the knee for several weeks, and then will be looking at a rehab period on top of that.”

Mariucci declined to put a timetable on Bailey’s return, but said the Lions hope to have him back this season.

As a rookie in 2003, Bailey won a starting job at outside linebacker and was among the team’s leaders in defensive snaps played. He finished with one interception and 1.5 sacks.

Donte Curry is expected to replace Bailey in the lineup.

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