Ted Washington to stay in New England.

[Chrisbob74]

Ted Washington stays

Pats, avoid free agency

By Michael Felger / Boston Herald

Monday, March 1, 2004

All along, the Patriots have said they'll have the salary cap space necessary to sign all the players they want, whether Ty Law agrees to renegotiate his contract or not.

Within the next 24-48 hours, the Patriots are expected to deliver on that claim by signing Ted Washington to a contract extension that will keep the veteran nose tackle in New England and out of free agency, according to sources close to Washington.

Terms of the deal were not available, but Washington and his agent, Angelo Wright, have said the 14-year veteran would not settle for anything less than a multi-year deal and a multi-million dollar signing bonus. The Pats apparently met those demands, giving Washington enough money in either bonuses or guaranteed salary to keep him from testing the free agent waters.

Washington made $1.65 million in salary last year. Washington said at the Super Bowl he planned to play for at least two more seasons, although the deal could be longer than that for salary cap purposes.

An official announcement could come today or tomorrow. The free agent signing period begins at midnight Wednesday.

"It looks good," said the source. "Real good."

The 375-pound Washington proved to be an ideal fit in the Pats' 3-4 defense last year, commanding double teams over center on a consistent basis, a key requirement in Belichick's scheme. Despite missing six games due to a broken leg suffered in Week 3 against the Jets, Washington finished the year with 43 tackles and two sacks.

Upon his return from injury on Nov. 16, Washington anchored a Pats defense that didn't allow an opposing running back to rush for more than 89 yards the rest of the season. He was also a force in goal-line situations.

Washington's age (he'll turn 36 in April) and recent injury history (he's suffered a broken leg in the same place in each of the last two years) certainly were considerations for the Pats. Obviously, Belichick and his staff determined Washington can perform at a high level for at least one or two more seasons.

Meanwhile, the Pats will have to be in compliance with the $80.5 million salary cap by the free agent deadline. While they are currently slightly over the limit (not including Washington's new deal), there are several simple restructurings they can execute to carve out space.

For instance, linebacker Roman Phifer's contract calls for a $3 million salary in 2004, a sum that could easily be chopped this week. The Pats can carve out more space by tinkering with bonus language and guaranteeing base salaries, which allows them to spread out money over subsequent seasons for salary cap purposes.

Of course, the Pats would have a much simpler route to cap space if Law agreed to a new deal, which would enable the Pats to dramatically cut into his $10.5 million 2004 cap charge. While that figure represents one-eighth of the total cap, the Pats have put together their offseason personnel checklist under the assumption that Law's figure will remain on the books.

The Pats have 20 pending unrestricted free agents, a list including running back Kevin Faulk, defensive end Bobby Hamilton and safety Chris Akins. It's already been determined that guard Damien Woody and backup quarterback Damon Huard will be allowed to test the market come Wednesday.

[line]

I for one am glad, he's great against the run and all but at near 36 and with a recent history of injury problems I am glad he won't be there for us to get. Too risky IMO.