PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : NFC : Stokes Signs: Seven Years, $8.4 Million

The San Francisco 49ers can finally get around to turning J.J. Stokes into the next Jerry Rice.

After 10 days out of training camp, Stokes, the 10th player selected overall, was signed to a seven-year contract worth $8.4 million.

The deal includes a $2.85-million signing bonus and also contains a clause allowing Stokes to terminate the contract and become a free agent after four years if he meets certain playing time conditions and is on the roster at the end of 1998.

“The foundation is there,” said Coach George Seifert, who during sometimes tense negotiations had expressed concern over the practice time Stokes was missing. “Now it’s just a matter of picking up on our schedule, and we’ll make up for lost time here in the next couple of days.”

Stokes said he’s looking forward to playing now that the negotiations are done.

“I was definitely looking forward to getting into camp, but it really wasn’t rough for me because I had confidence everything would work out,” the former UCLA Bruin said. “My thing was to stay in shape and be ready to go when I got the call.”

Dana Stubblefield, who made the Pro Bowl last year and was defensive rookie of the year in 1993, is the team’s last holdout.

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Carolina Panther Coach Dom Capers selected Frank Reich to start at quarterback in the expansion team’s inaugural exhibition Saturday, the Hall of Fame game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Capers said Reich, who in 10 years with Buffalo built a reputation as the best backup quarterback in the NFL, will play the first two quarters against the Jaguars. Kerry Collins, the Panthers’ No. 1 draft choice, will play the third quarter and Jack Trudeau, the 10th-year journeyman who has been pressing Reich hard in Carolina’s training camp, will play the fourth.

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No progress was made toward ending the contract impasse between first-round pick Rashaan Salaam and the Chicago Bears. Agent Marvin Demoff said he foresees the holdout of the Heisman Trophy winner continuing at least into next week. The two sides aren’t expected to talk again until Monday.