Veteran quarterback Billy Volek will continue his role as the primary backup to Philip Rivers after signing a new three-year contract with the Chargers Friday. The new deal runs through the 2010 season. ?We are very excited to have Billy back,? Chargers' General Manager A.J. Smith said. ?It gives us continuity at the quarterback position. He is always prepared and ready. With his talent, experience and command of our offense, it?s just a great feeling to know he is in the wings.? Volek became an unrestricted free agent late Thursday evening but spurned interest from other teams to remain with the Chargers. In eight NFL seasons, Volek has played in 30 games and started 10. All 10 starts came with the Tennessee Titans. Since joining the Chargers via trade in October of 2006, Volek has appeared in six games. Volek?s most significant action as a Charger came in January?s Divisional Playoff win at Indianapolis. When Rivers was forced to the sideline with a knee injury, Volek came off the bench and led the Bolts on an eight-play, 78-yard touchdown drive. His one-yard quarterback sneak for the go-ahead touchdown with less than five minutes to go in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winning score.

Chargers' offensive lineman Scott Mruczkowski, who was scheduled to become a restricted free agent Thursday evening, signed a new three-year contract with the Chargers on Wednesday that will keep him in Lightning Bolts through the 2010 season. ?Scott is a young player who we?ve seen improve during his three seasons in our program,? Chargers' General Manager A.J. Smith said. ?We think he?s got a bright future, and we wanted to keep him in the fold. His work ethic is outstanding, and he takes the game very seriously. He wants to get better, and we?re glad that he wants to continue his development with us.? Mruczkowski joined the Chargers as a seventh-round draft pick in 2005 (242nd overall). He?s played in 29 games, including all 16 in 2007, and has logged one start at left guard. The 6-5, 318-pound versatile lineman was thrilled to have the opportunity to stay in San Diego. ?After being around guys like Nick Hardwick, Mike Goff, Kris Dielman, Marcus McNeill, and the rest of my teammates, I didn?t want to go anywhere else to play,? Mruczkowski said. ?We?ve got a great group of guys here and a great team. For me, it didn?t make any sense to go somewhere else.?

The Chargers are likely to address Antonio Cromartie's long-term contract situation next offseason. The San Diego Union-Tribune suggests Cromartie could become the NFL's first $100 million cornerback. Cromartie had 10 interceptions in 2007 on his way to the Pro Bowl, a game in which he added two more picks.

The Chargers and veteran linebacker Derek Smith agreed to terms on a two-year contract Sunday. Smith, who spent the last seven seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, was released on Tuesday, and the Chargers immediately contacted him in hopes of adding a wealth of experience to their group of young but talented linebackers. ?The day he was released we had great interest,? Chargers' General Manager A.J. Smith said. ?We like our inside linebackers, but we are young at the position. We love the possiblity of mixing youth with experience. Derek brings a wealth of experience, and we?re happy to have him aboard.? Derek Smith was San Francisco?s leading tackler for five-straight seasons from 2001-05. He spent the last three years playing in a 3-4 defense, exactly what the Chargers play in San Diego. Smith has played in 168 games during his 11 NFL seasons and started 163. Where exactly he?ll fit in with the Bolts is yet to be determined. ?He?s tough, physical, and a great competitor who will be added to the mix, and the coaches will decide his role,? A.J. Smith said. Derek Smith was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 1997 and played four seasons in the nation?s capital under Chargers' Head Coach Norv Turner, who was the head coach in Washington from 1994-2000. ?Derek brings experience, a real knowledge of the game, and knowledge of this league,? Turner said. ?He?s a physical player and an outstanding tackler. He?s been a very productive player the last few years in San Francisco.? A native of American Fork, Utah, Smith played collegiately at Arizona State. He and his family make their offseason home in San Diego.

Chargers' TE Antonio Gates plans to undergo foot surgery next week to fix the injury that nagged him at the end of the season, according to an ESPN.com report. "It may be the beginning of training camp, and it may be the middle of the season," Gates said.

Chargers' defensive tackle Jamal Williams and tight end Antonio Gates will not play in the NFL Pro Bowl on Sunday. Williams suffered an ankle injury in December that nagged him throughout the end of the regular season and the playoffs. Gates dislocated his left big toe during the Chargers? Wild Card playoff victory over the Tennessee Titans on January 6. Gates was named to his fourth-consecutive Pro Bowl, and Williams earned his third-straight invitation to Hawaii. This is the first time either player will miss the NFL All-Star contest. Cleveland Browns' tight end Kellen Winslow II, son of Chargers' Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow, will replace Gates on the AFC roster. Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive tackle Casey Hampton will take Williams? spot.

The San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints will play in the second regular-season game ever played outside North America when they meet in Wembley Stadium in London, England on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008. The game will be televised by CBS in the United States. The kickoff time is TBA. The game will be shown live in England, and will also be shown live or as a highlights package in nearly 200 additional countries. ?We?re proud to be chosen,? said Chargers President Dean Spanos. ?This is another positive step in the effort to globalize our great sport. It?s an opportunity for the NFL to show off two of its marquee teams and some of its best players as well as a chance for the Chargers to expand our international fan base. In particular, it?s going to be good exposure for the team, our players and our city and another opportunity for our team to grow together. We?re looking forward to it.? The Chargers-Saints game would be the third NFL regular-season game to be contested on foreign soil. In 2005, the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals met in Mexico City?s Azteca Stadium and, last season, the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants played in London in Wembley Stadium.