The Carolina Panthers have made an upgrade with their struggling special teams by signing safety Aaron Francisco, a Kahuku High alum.

The six-year veteran has played for Arizona and Indianapolis, and had two special teams tackles for the Colts in last season's Super Bowl.

A four-year starter at BYU, the 6-foot-2, 207-pound Francisco went undrafted out of college before signing with Arizona in 2005. He served as the Cardinals' special teams captain in 2007 and '08.

Yesterday's move is a boost for the Panthers, who ranked near the bottom of the league in punt and kickoff coverage last season.

JETS

RECENTLY ACQUIRED HOLMES OUT 4 GAMES

Newly acquired New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes was suspended yesterday without pay by the NFL for the first four regular-season games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

The league announced the suspension a day after the Jets acquired the talented but troubled Holmes from Pittsburgh for a fifth-round pick in this month's draft.

"We understood that was part of it, but we just felt like even with that, it was worth it," general manager Mike Tannenbaum said.

Holmes, the 2009 Super Bowl MVP, is eligible to participate in the team's offseason program and in all preseason practices and games.

Holmes is coming off his best season, with 79 catches for 1,248 yards and five touchdowns. But he is also facing a lawsuit in Florida from a woman who claims he threw a glass at her, cutting her above the eye, in an Orlando, Fla., nightclub.

Also, Holmes was arrested in 2008 for possession of marijuana. He was also involved in a domestic violence incident in 2006; the misdemeanor charges were dismissed.

REDSKINS

QB CAMPBELL SIGNS $3.1 MILLION TENDER

Quarterback Jason Campbell has signed his $3.1 million tender with Washington, taking him off the market as a restricted free agent while leaving open the possibility of a trade.

Campbell was given permission to explore a trade after Donovan McNabb was acquired from Philadelphia last week. Campbell couldn't find a team that would make a suitable offer to him as a restricted free agent, so he signed the tender yesterday.

The move puts the onus back on the Redskins to find a trade partner for Campbell. Their best chance might come during next week's draft.

Former University of Hawai'i quarterback Colt Brennan also is on the Redskins roster. He spent last season on injured reserve.

ELSEWHERE

NFL draft: Sam Bradford, Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy are among 16 players who have accepted invitations to attend the NFL draft.

The Oklahoma quarterback and the defensive tackles from Nebraska and Oklahoma are projected to be the top three picks on April 22.

Also accepting are running backs C.J. Spiller of Clemson and Jahvid Best of Cal; cornerbacks Joe Haden of Florida and Brandon Ghee of Wake Forest; offensive tackles Russell Okung of Oklahoma State, Bryan Bulaga of Iowa and Trent Williams of Oklahoma; defensive tackles Lamarr Houston of Texas, Jared Odrick of Penn State and Dan Williams of Tennessee; defensive end Derrick Morgan of Georgia Tech; receiver Demaryius Thomas of Georgia Tech and safety Eric Berry of Tennessee.

Seahawks: Seattle starting linebacker Leroy Hill was arrested for investigation of domestic violence in the Seattle suburb of Issaquah over the weekend, just days after reaching a plea deal on a marijuana charge in Georgia.

Hill was booked into Issaquah jail early Sunday for investigation of assault in the fourth degree/domestic violence.

Officers determined there had been a dispute between Hill and his girlfriend.