Jets Sign Lott for 2 Years : Pro football: Contract for the former Raider and 49er safety is believed to be worth $3 million.

In the wild new world of free agency, the door at Raider headquarters swings both ways.

The team lost perennial all-pro safety Ronnie Lott to the New York Jets on Monday, less than a week after luring tackle Gerald Perry from the Rams.

Lott, a 10-time Pro Bowl player and a six-time all-pro, signed a two-year contract believed to be worth about $3 million. He made $1 million last season with the Raiders.

“I can help them at the free safety spot,” Lott said of his new club. “And I’m looking forward to hopefully being able to persuade some other free agents out there to come and be a part of this organization.”

Apparently, that already has come to pass. It was announced later Monday that the Jets had agreed to terms with Giants’ defensive end Leonard Marshall, who also has played in the Pro Bowl and who has two Super Bowl rings. He is expected to sign a contract today.

“Myself, added with some other free agents, I think we can make an impact,” Lott said.

Lott, who will be 34 in May, certainly has made an impact in the NFL after a collegiate career at USC that included two All-American seasons. A first-round draft choice of the San Francisco 49ers in 1981, Lott became the unquestioned leader of the defense and a strong force, both physically and emotionally, for a team that won four Super Bowl titles in his era.

Signed by the Raiders under the defunct Plan B system in 1991, Lott had a league-leading eight interceptions in his first season with the Raiders.

Last year, although he led the team with 103 tackles, Lott’s interception total dropped to one as he struggled, at times, along with the rest of the Raiders.

Lott’s enthusiasm also seemed to diminish as the defeats steadily mounted in a 7-9 season. More and more, Lott let his anger show over what was happening around him. More and more, he blasted poor play by teammates. A fierce competitor, the man often called “the hardest hitter in football” found it difficult to handle losing after all the years of success.

When the season ended, Lott reportedly wanted to return to the 49ers, but that didn’t prove feasible.

There was interest by the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Raiders also talked to Lott, but, according to Steve Ortmayer, director of football operations, Monday’s announcement “was not unexpected.”

“We are very appreciative of the two years he gave us,” Ortmayer said. “They were a very good two years. But now the torch has been passed to a younger player and (Lott) understood that.”

The younger player referred to by Ortmayer is Derrick Hoskins, a 1992 fifth-round draft choice from Southern Mississippi. The Raiders are set at cornerback with Terry McDaniel and Lionel Washington. If Hoskins takes over Lott’s spot, strong safety Eddie Anderson will have to take on the leadership role and the bulk of the responsibility.

That’s assuming that the free-agent wheeling and dealing is over in the Raider secondary. Safety Tim McDonald of the Phoenix Cardinals is still out there, and the Raiders might be interested in him.

The Jets, 4-12 last season after reaching the playoffs at 8-8 the year before, might not be done wheeling and dealing either. Besides Marshall, they are actively pursuing free-agent defensive end Reggie White of the Philadelphia Eagles. He is expected to meet with team officials this week.

The Jets would like others to take the signing of Lott as a sign of things to come.

“We hope this sends a signal to the other players we are after that we are seriously committed, from the ownership level on down, to improve this football team and to get it back on track where we started off the first couple of years,” General Manager Dick Steinberg said. “Reggie White said he originally wanted to go to a contending team. But he has revised that to saying he wants to go where there is a commitment.”

Lott spoke of that commitment at a New York news conference Monday.

“For me to sit here and tell you I’m trying to build something along with them, that’s crazy,” he said. “I don’t have that many years to build anything. I want to win now. I think that’s the statement they’re trying to make.”

Jet Coach Bruce Coslet was thrilled to get Lott, the leader among active players with 60 interceptions, a figure that puts him seventh in league history.

“He was on the wish list,” Coslet said. “You don’t find a Ronnie Lott every day. You’re talking about one of the great ones. He brings a lot to the table.”

Lott acknowledges he’s not the player he was, but feels he’s still good enough to be the player the Jets hope he is.

“My contract is for two years,” he said. “And I think I’ve got two years left.”