DFP: NFL ROUNDUP: Kearse signs deal with Eagles

[bubba9497]

NFL ROUNDUP: Kearse signs deal with Eagles

March 4, 2004

http://www.freep.com/sports/football/nfl4_20040304.htm

FREE PRESS NEWS SERVICES

PHILADELPHIA -- Needing a pass rusher, the Philadelphia Eagles signed three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jevon Kearse to a $66-million, eight-year deal Wednesday, the first day of the NFL's free-agency period.

"Jevon is excited to agree to terms with the Eagles. He looks forward to getting a lot of sacks for them and helping them get over the hump," Kearse's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told the Associated Press.

Kearse spent five years with the Tennessee Titans, establishing himself as one of the premier sack artists in the league. He had 9 1/2 sacks last season, two more than all of Philadelphia's defensive ends combined.

Kearse will receive a $16-million signing bonus and $4 million in a roster bonus that he is to get in the first two years of his deal. Rosenhaus said the deal makes Kearse the highest-paid defensive lineman in NFL history. The contract is contingent upon Kearse passing a physical in Philadelphia today.

Kearse had 36 sacks and went to the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons, twice earning All-Pro honors. But he had just 11 1/2 sacks in the past two injury-plagued seasons. Kearse missed 12 games with a broken bone in his left foot in 2002, sprained the same foot in 2003 and missed nearly three games.

Atlanta: Center Todd McClure signed a three-year, $3.5-million contract to stay with the Falcons. McClure, a seventh-round draft pick in 1999, has started 34 consecutive games for the Falcons and 54 of 57 in his career.

Buffalo: The Bills signed free agent offensive lineman Chris Villarrial. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Villarrial, 30, has spent his entire eight-year career with the Chicago Bears, starting 109 of 116 games.

Chicago: The Bears agreed to a four-year contract with running back Thomas Jones and a two-year deal with quarterback Jonathan Quinn. The club also cut veteran linebacker Warrick Holdman and re-signed fullback Stanley Pritchett.

Dallas: Tampa Bay's Keyshawn Johnson reached agreement on a four-year, $20-million contract with the Dallas Cowboys, who are seeking the three-time Pro Bowl selection in a trade for Joey Galloway. But the proposed swap of highly paid receivers may not go through if Galloway fails to restructure a seven-year, $42-million contract the salary cap-strapped Buccaneers want to reduce dramatically.

Denver: Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey will be the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. Bailey agreed to a seven-year, $63-million contract with the Broncos that includes an $18-million signing bonus and $5 million in other bonuses.

Green Bay: Left tackle Chad Clifton has agreed to a long-term contract extension with the Packers, saving the team the salary-cap space he would have used had he remained the team's franchise player. The deal is worth $32.4 million over six years.

Houston: The Texans reworked the contract of two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Gary Walker to make it more salary-cap friendly. Walker's salary would have counted as $12.6 million against the cap this season under the contract the Texans inherited when they plucked him from Jacksonville in the 2002 expansion draft. His new six-year deal softens the blow, though financial terms were not available.

Oakland: The Raiders agreed to a $14-million, four-year contract with veteran defensive tackle Ted Washington.

Pittsburgh: Steelers fullback Dan Kreider passed up free agency and signed a four-year contract that will pay him a little more than $4 million. Under the contract, 27-year-old Kreider received an $840,000 signing bonus and will earn $535,000 next season.

Washington: When daylight came, the Washington Redskins agreed to terms with cornerback Shawn Springs, signed defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin, re-signed offensive lineman Lennie Friedman and welcomed quarterback Mark Brunell and running back Clinton Portis as owner Dan Snyder and the NFL's busiest off-season team hit the ground running once again. Springs, the No. 3 overall draft pick by Seattle in 1997, was being flown to Washington late Wednesday and was to sign his contract today, an NFL source told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Considered one of the top cornerbacks available in free agency, Springs will replace four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Bailey, who is being traded to the Denver Broncos for Portis. Terms of Springs' contract weren't immediately available.

Notebook: An arrest warrant was issued for former NFL running back Lawrence Phillips after he failed to appear for a court hearing on assault charges. The 1996 first-round draft pick is charged with sexual assault, assault and issuing threats against a woman in Montreal in November, prosecutor Lucio Garcia said.

[bubba9497]

Steelers reach agreement with Kreider

By Jerry DiPaola

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Thursday, March 4, 2004

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/sports/s_182675.html

The Steelers kept busy on the first day of NFL free agency, reaching a contract agreement with fullback Dan Kreider and setting up visits with three cornerbacks from other teams.

Yet, nothing they did was nearly as important as the meeting Wednesday night between defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and free-agent outside linebacker Marcus Washington.

If the Steelers can satisfy Washington's salary demands -- and the signing bonus could reach $4-5 million -- he could step in and replace 10-year veteran Jason Gildon as one of the team's marquee pass rushers.

Washington, who had six sacks last season and eight in 2001 for the Indianapolis Colts, was scheduled to dine with LeBeau last night in the first stage of the Steelers' recruitment process. Washington, 6-foot-3, 255 pounds, has been the Colts' starting left outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense for the past three seasons.