SAN DIEGO -- The surgeon's knife can wait. Shawne Merriman is going to play football, two torn knee ligaments and all.

"To be as simple as possible, I just want to play football," Merriman said. "That's what it comes down to. I know what's on the table, I know what's on the line. I put a lot of work in this and I want to play."

Merriman said late last week that he has tears in both the posterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments in his left knee, which he hurt in a game at Tennessee in December. He spent several days seeking outside opinions. He returned Tuesday after seeing a doctor in Miami.

Merriman said all four doctors he saw said he needed surgery, but there "just wasn't a time frame on that. My knee still looks pretty good. The decision was left up to me to play. If you give a football player a decision to play, you know, I'm going to play."

With his nonstop energy and spasmodic sack dance, the player known as "Lights Out" has been the face of the Chargers' defense the past three seasons. He has 39 1/2 sacks in that span, more than any other NFL player, and has played in three straight Pro Bowls.

Star running back LaDainian Tomlinson, knocked out of last season's AFC championship game after aggravating a knee injury, was happy to hear of Merriman's decision.

"How do you tell a warrior to sit down? That's what he is, a warrior. he's trained for this. It's hard to tell a guy to sit down," Tomlinson said.

"Obviously it was a big relief for a lot of us. We all know what Shawne brings to this team, especially the defense," the running back added. "He's an impact player, a difference-maker. You just kept your fingers crossed that he was going to be able to play. But I think in the back of all our minds, knowing Shawne, we know what was in his heart and that he really wanted to play, and that any cost possible he was going to find a way to get out there on that field."

• Tatupu OK for opener: At Renton, Wash., Lofa Tatupu has a bone bruise in his right knee, but coach Mike Holmgren said the Pro Bowl linebacker will be fine for the season opener Sept. 7 at Buffalo.

Tatupu, Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (tight back), No. 3 quarterback Charlie Frye (knee) and starting right tackle Sean Locklear (knee) missed practice Wednesday. All except Frye will miss Friday's preseason finale against Oakland. Frye may be available but backup quarterback Seneca Wallace will start and No. 4 quarterback Dalton Bell will also play.

Seattle brought back free agent long snapper Jeff Robinson. He replaces Tim Lindsey on the roster and has the job thought to be rookie draft pick Tyler Schmitt's. Schmitt is on injured reserve with a back injury.

• Ravens trade for Marques Douglas: At Owings Mills, Md., the Baltimore Ravens traded for Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Marques Douglas on Wednesday, reacting quickly to defensive lineman Dwan Edwards' season-ending back injury.

Former second-round pick Dan Cody was cut to make room for Douglas.

The 31-year-old Douglas was acquired for a late-round draft choice in 2009 and a conditional 2010 draft selection.

Douglas was with the Ravens from 2001 to 2004 after signing with Baltimore as an undrafted free agent out of Howard in 2000. Last season, he had 72 tackles and three sacks with the San Francisco 49ers.

At 6-foot-2, 292 pounds, Douglas is capable of playing defensive end or defensive tackle in the Ravens' aggressive scheme. Tampa Bay signed Douglas to a four-year, $10.1 million contract during the offseason, but his playing time dwindled behind Kevin Carter.

Douglas is due a $1 million base salary this season and $2.4 million each in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Douglas started 47 of 48 games for the 49ers under former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Nolan.

For his career, Douglas has 335 tackles and 19 sacks.

Edwards was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. He started a career-high 13 games last season in relief of an injured Trevor Pryce and had a career-high 58 tackles.

• Jaguars' Harvey ends holdout, signs 5-year deal: At Jacksonville, Fla., defensive end Derrick Harvey ended a 33-day holdout Wednesday by signing a five-year, $23.8 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Harvey was the last first-round draft pick to sign, a lengthy holdout that frustrated coach Jack Del Rio and left the former Florida standout behind in preparation for the regular season.

The eighth overall selection in April, Harvey was expected to bolster a pass rush that struggled to pressure quarterbacks last season. But he missed all of training camp and the first three preseason games.

It was unclear whether Harvey would play in the preseason finale Thursday night at Washington. He did travel with the team to Washington, D.C.

"This was a long and challenging process for the player and for the team," Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver said. "This was a good example of the problem Commissioner Goodell has cited with the lack of a rookie pay scale. We're all happy that Derrick can now focus on getting on the field, being a Jaguar and contributing to this team."

Harvey's deal included a little more than $17 million guaranteed and could pay him as much as $33.4 million with incentives and escalators.

Harvey had 20 1/2 career sacks with the Gators and was the defensive most valuable player of the 2007 BCS national title game against Ohio State. The Jaguars liked -- and needed -- Harvey so much that they traded up 18 spots to get him. They may not have expected him to be so expensive.

But linebacker Vernon Gholston, selected with the sixth pick by the New York Jets, signed a five-year deal worth $50 million, with $21 million guaranteed. And New Orleans gave the No. 7 pick, defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, a five-year deal that reportedly included $19.5 million guaranteed.

Harvey's agent wanted a similar deal, but the Jaguars declined to give the rookie more guaranteed money than they gave quarterback David Garrard, who signed a six-year, $60 million extension that included $18 million guaranteed. It was the richest contract in franchise history.

"There were some unusual challenges and plenty of room for honest differences of opinion," said Paul Vance, the team's vice president of football operations.

Del Rio was the most vocal, ripping the escalating contracts of first-round draft picks.

"What's happened at the very top of the first round is ridiculous," Del Rio said last month. "When you're paying the guys who have never done anything more than star football players in this league that have played for years and established themselves at this level what they're capable of, it can be a little frustrating."

The Jaguars refused to budge from their final offer to Harvey, but they eventually gave in slightly by changing the deal's incentives and making them easier to achieve.

Now, after so many problems at the defensive end position, Jacksonville probably would prefer to see Harvey reach all of them.

James Wyche (Achilles' tendon) is out for the season. Jeremy Mincey (wrist) has missed the entire preseason. Starter Reggie Hayward is still recovering from a hamstring injury. And second-round pick Quentin Groves has looked every bit like a rookie in the last two preseason games.

"We welcome Derrick and will work hard to get him up to speed as quickly as possible," Del Rio said. "I know that Derrick has been anxious to get here. It's good for him and also for us to have this done as we finish up the preseason and prepare to start the season."