The Chargers have placed four players ? tight end Antonio Gates, center Nick Hardwick, fullback Andrew Pinnock and linebacker Anthony Waters ? on the ?Active-Physically Unable to Perform? list. All four players remain on the team?s 80-man roster; however, each is ineligible to participate in practice until they pass a physical. The players can remain on the ?Active-PUP? list until the final roster cutdown date on Aug. 30. Gates is recovering from a toe injury. Hardwick is recovering from a foot injury while Pinnock and Waters are both recovering from knee injuries.

Chargers first-round pick Antoine Cason, the 27th overall pick in April?s draft, agreed to terms on a five-year contract Thursday afternoon. Cason will be on the field with his teammates Friday as the club holds its first full-squad practice of training camp.

Veteran wide receiver Eric Parker, who spent the past six seasons with the Chargers, was released Wednesday. The last two years the Chargers added key depth to the wide receiver position. Last spring the Chargers drafted wide receivers Buster Davis and Legedu Naanee, both of whom are expected to have a bigger role in the offense in 2008, and the team acquired Pro Bowl veteran Chris Chambers in a trade last season. Veterans Malcom Floyd and Kassim Osgood join starters Vincent Jackson and Chambers to form a wide receiving corps. The club also signed veteran Mark Jones in June. Parker joined the Chargers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2002. By his third season, Parker became a full-time starter and in 2004 and 2006 he led all Chargers wide receivers in catches. Following the 2006 season, Parker suffered a foot injury that eventually required surgery. He missed the first six games of the 2007 season and was put on the ?Reserve-Injured? list on October 16. In six seasons with the club, Parker played in 62 games with 40 starts and caught 187 passes for 2,586 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Chargers have signed defensive end Luis Castillo to a new seven-year contract that will keep him in San Diego through the 2014 season. Castillo?s original rookie contract was set to expire after the 2009 season. ?Since his arrival, Luis has been played a huge role in the success we?ve had as a defense,? Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith said. ?He?s an ascending player who is committed to getting better. We?re thrilled that he?ll be a Charger for years to come.? Castillo was the second of the Chargers? two first-round draft picks in 2005. In three NFL seasons, he?s played in 36 games and started 33. Lauded for his strength, quickness and athleticism, the Northwestern University grad has posted 13 career sacks, including a career-high seven in 2006.

Chargers' first-round draft pick Antonine Cason remained unsigned Sunday night and didn?t sound optimistic he?d be at the first practice of camp, according to an Associated Press report.

Rookies Jacob Hester and DeJuan Tribble agreed to contract terms with the Chargers on Friday, as reported by the Associated Press. That leaves cornerback Antoine Cason, the team?s first-round draft pick, as the Chargers? only unsigned player.

Antonio Cromartie is going national, part of an effort by his handlers to increase his profile in the months and years ahead. One element of that push is a blitz of ESPN headquarters today, during which the Chargers' cornerback will appear on three ESPN networks and ESPN radio, participate in an online chat, and even do something for ESPN Verizon. ?It's more exposure,? Cromartie said. ?I really came onto the scene last year. But nobody really knows me. I just want to tell 'em.?

Former Chargers tackle Shane Olivea agreed to terms with the Giants on Thursday. Olivea?s agent, Kenny Zuckerman, confirmed the agreement to PA SportsTicker, saying Olivea will sign a deal after passing a physical and a workout. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but ESPN.com reported it is for one year.

Former Chargers' LB Steve Foley agreed to settle his lawsuit for $5.5M against a police officer who shot him two years ago, ending his career, according to an Associated Press report on Monday. Foley?s lawyer Harvey Levine said his client wants to get on with his life.

Former Chargers' safety Terrence Kiel was killed after he was thrown from a Chevy sedan he was driving, police said Saturday. Kiel, 27, was driving alone after leaving a party at about 10:15 Friday night when he hit a wall in San Diego's upscale Scripps Ranch neighborhood and was thrown from the car, police Sgt. Alan Hayward said. Kiel was barely breathing when paramedics reached him, and he died about an hour later, Hayward said.