ASHBURN, Va. — Seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback Deion Sanders retired from the NFL on Friday, one day after the erstwhile Reds outfielder gave up on a baseball comeback and two days before he was due to report to the Washington Redskins' training camp.

        “In my discussions with (Sanders' agent) Eugene Parker, it was evident from his comments that Deion Sanders did not want to play football,” coach Marty Schottenheimer said. “With that understanding, both parties have reached a mutually beneficial agreement. Deion Sanders will retire as a National Football League player, and a financial agreement has been reached.”

        The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, reported that Sanders will return a portion of his $8 million signing bonus — up to $2.5 million — and that the Redskins will receive salary cap relief next season for the returned portion.

        The announcement comes one day after Sanders left the Syracuse SkyChiefs minor-league baseball team. Sanders, whose seven-year, $56 million football contract alllowed him to skip training camp as long as he was on a major-league baseball team, played for the Reds from May 1 till July 17, when he was cut after batting just .173.

        He later signed with the Toronto Blue Jays and was assigned to their Triple-A farm team in Syracuse.

        “I've got to really get my head together and figure out what I'm going to do and what I want to accomplish,” Sanders said Thursday night after hitting a home run in his final game.

        Attempts to reach Sanders and Parker were not immediately successful.

        Sanders' abrupt retirement — coupled with his baseball failure — would appear to bring to a sudden end the two-sport career of one of the most dynamic showmen in sports in the last decade. Sanders combined flair with talent: He is considered one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time and is the only person to play in both the World Series and the Super Bowl.

        But Sanders, 33, was disenchanted and restless last year as the Redskins failed to live up to their Super Bowl billing. He said his season wasn't up to his usual standard and perhaps not worthy of the money he was getting paid.

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