POSTED 9:43 p.m. EST, March 14, 2006

 

T.O. PLANS TO WAIT

 

With receiver Terrell Owens finally on the open market, don't expect him to take the best offer that he can line up in the short term.  Instead, word is that he'll wait as long as it takes to get the contract that he thinks he deserves.

 

The key, we believe (and we hear), is that Owens will stay put until there's an offer that makes him happy and motivated and ready to give everything he has on the field.  Even if he has to wait until September, Owens won't sign until he gets the right offer.

 

So what will it take?  It's anyone's guess, but consider the deals that recently have been signed at the receiver position.  Reggie Wayne walked off with $12.5 million to sign.  Antwaan Randle El reeled in $11.5 million in bonuses.  David Givens got $8 million.

 

Happiness is a subjective term, to be sure.  But we can't imagine T.O. being happy, in light of these other deals, with anything less than $15 million in guarantees.

 

TUESDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

 

DT Ryan Pickett and G Reggie Wells visited the Bills on Tuesday.

 

The Steelers have signed S Ryan Clark.

 

The Jags have signed OT Mike Williams.

 

The Broncos have promoted director of pro personnel Rick Smith to assistant general manager.

 

The Lions have signed TE Dan Campbell to a five-year deal.

 

The Giants are loading up their defensive backfield.

 

The Lions have signed QB Jon Kitna.

 

The 'Skins have added QB Todd Collins.

 

The Lions re-signed DE Kalimba Edwards to a five-year deal.

 

The Packers won't be raising ticket prices for 2006.

 

The Bucs have commenced contract negotiations with T Tom Ashworth.

 

The photo of Daunte Culpepper that used to be on the front page of the Vikings web site has been replaced by a staged photo of Brad Childress pretending to be coaching.

 

The Panthers have signed S Shaun Williams.

 

The 49ers have signed WR Bryan Gilmore.

 

POSTED 8:42 p.m. EST, March 14, 2006

 

FINS DON'T SAY MUCH ON DAUNTE

 

The Miami Dolphins have issued a one-sentence statement regarding the reported trade of Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper to the Fins for a second-round pick.

 

"In response to reports that the Minnesota Vikings have confirmed a trade of quarterback Daunte Culpepper to the Dolphins, team spokesman Harvey Greene said 'anything we do is contingent upon a player passing a medical exam.'"

 

A move that isn't contingent on the passing of a physical is the release of 2005 starting quarterback Gus Frerotte.  Per Alex Marvez of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Frerotte would have earned a $330,000 roster bonus on Wednesday.

 

Currently, the only quarterbacks on the team's roster are Cleo Lemon and Brock Berlin.

 

POSTED 7:28 p.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 8:30 p.m. EST, March 14, 2006

 

BREES DEAL IS A ONE-YEAR ARRANGEMENT

 

Lost in the hubbub regarding the decision of Drew Brees to sign with the Saints is the fact that his contract is, as a practical matter, a one-year deal.

 

Why?  Because the deal contains a whopping $12 million option bonus due in the spring of 2007, in addition to his $8 million signing bonus.

 

We're not saying that the Saints won't pick up the option if Brees has an MVP season and delivers a Lombardi to the Bayou.  Barring that highly unlikely outcome, however, the contract will either be terminated or restructured in a year, making the thing a one-year, $10 million deal.

 

So, as a practical matter, Brees doesn't have much more security than he would have had if the Chargers had slapped the franchise tag on him.

 

As a result, we're not prepared to give much credence to the news that the Saints will look to trade out of the No. 2 spot in the draft.  At a time when the team is looking to parlay the Brees season ticket sales for folks who are happy to hear that Drew is coming to town, the last thing that the franchise needs to emphasize over the next months or so is the possibility that the Brees is but a Band-Aid.

 

Don't be shocked, then, if the Saints ultimately declare that they couldn't get commensurate value for the pick, and that they had no choice but to use on Matt Leinart.

 

CARDS DID THEIR HOMEWORK ON EDGE

 

We're told that the Arizona Cardinals locked their sights onto running back Edgerrin James because of a skill that might serve him very well with his new team.

 

The ability to break tackles.

 

Based on film study, the Cardinals regarded James as the most effective free agent back on the market at shedding defenders who are trying to take him down.  In Arizona, where the stellar skill position players aren't yet complemented by a high-caliber offensive line, James might get more practice breaking tackles than he ever had in Indy.

 

'SKINS FEAR TAYLOR INCARCERATION

 

In the wake of the Washington Redskins' decision to throw $10 million in guaranteed money to a safety with a history of a herniated disc, we're hearing that the team beefed up the position due to concerns that it might not ultimately have the services of Sean Taylor come the 2006 season.

 

Taylor is set to go to trial next month on felony charges that, if convicted, would put him behind bars for three years at a minimum. 

 

If Taylor beats the rap, the Redskins secondary could be one of the best in the league, with Archuleta and Taylor at safeties, and Shawn Springs and Carlos Rogers at the corners. 

 

POSTED 5:17 p.m. EST, March 14, 2006

 

MESHAWN HITS THE MARKET

 

The Dallas Cowboys have terminated the contract of receiver Keyshawn Johnson, avoiding a $1 million roster bonus and saving $1.5 million in 2006 cap space.

 

Johnson, 33, is now free to sign with any team.

 

The No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft is an intriguing addition to an offseason with slim pass-catching pickings on the open market or in the draft.  The Packers and Eagles could be immediately interested.

 

Other possibilities include Buffalo, New England, Miami, Baltimore, Houston, Carolina, and Chicago.

 

POSTED 3:45 p.m. EST, March 14, 2006

 

T.O. IS FREE-O

 

Adam Schefter of The NFL Network reports that the Philadelphia Eagles have terminated the contract of receiver Terrell Owens.

 

Owens is now free to sign with any team.

 

Teams rumored to be interested include the Cowboys, Chiefs, Broncos, Buccaneers, and Dolphins.  There has been increased speculation of late that the Cowboys will sign him.  

 

He would have earned more than $8 million in 2006 under his contract with the Eagles.  The problems between Owens and the Eagles began roughly a year ago, when Owens wanted his contract to be adjusted to reflect his value in light of his performance during the 2004 season, which included an unlikely return from a broken ankle to play -- and play well -- in the Super Bowl.

 

POSTED 2:10 p.m. EST, March 14, 2006

 

SAINTS TO TRADE NO. 2 PICK

 

As a follow-up to the report that the Saints have signed quarterback Drew Brees, Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that the Saints will now attempt to trade away the No. 2 overall pick in the draft.

 

This development contradicts rumblings we'd previously heard regarding the Saints' interest in Brees as a caddy for whomever they select in the two hole.  Instead, Brees is the guy.  The new Aaron Brooks.  The next fleur-de-lis wearing flame-thrower in a long line that features . . . um . . . Bobby Hebert . . . Archie Manning . . . Chris Everett . . . .

 

The Saints could swap with the Jets, allowing them to get their pick of the rookie quarterbacks.  But it's not clear that the Jets would draft a quarterback in round one, given their retention of Chad Pennington and the efforts to acquire Patrick Ramsey.  

 

Other teams that might try to trade up include the Raiders, the Lions, and the Vikings.

 

POSTED 1:46 p.m. EST; UPDATED 1:51 p.m. EST,  March 14, 2006

 

BREES POUNCES ON PLAN B

 

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com and Adam Schefter of the NFL Network report that quarterback Drew Brees agreed to a six-year deal with the Saints moments after his other suitor, the Miami Dolphins, acquired Daunte Culpepper in a trade with the Vikings.

 

We'd previously heard from multiple sources that Brees wasn't enamored with the possibility of joining the Saints, and that he preferred the Dolphins.  But the Saints were offering more guaranteed money.

 

It also remains to be seen who killed the deal in Miami.  Did Brees say no, or did the Fins decide to walk?

 

It'll likewise be very interesting to get a look-see at the actual terms of Brees' "sxi-year" deal.  We've heard that the team wants him to reprise his role as the veteran who keeps the seat warm as the rookie gets ready to play.  If so, the contract might include a significant option bonus that comes due in 2007 or 2008, making the thing in essence a one-year or a two-year arrangement.

 

If the Saints opt not to draft a quarterback, they'll need to trade out of the No. 2 spot in the draft.  By signing Brees now, they've arguably lost some of their leverage in this regard.

 

POSTED 1:14 p.m. EST; UPDATED 1:26 p.m. EST, March 14, 2006

 

VIKES SHIP CULPEPPER TO FINS

 

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that the Minnesota Vikings have traded quarterback Daunte Culpepper to the Miami Dolphins for a second-round selection in the 2006 draft.

 

The deal is contingent on Culpepper passing a physical.

 

The move means that the Dolphins are now out of the running for Drew Brees, who was weighing offers from both the Saints and the Fins.  We continue to hear that Brees does not want to go to New Orleans, but he might now be out of options.

 

The Vikings recently did a deal with Brees' agent, Tom Condon, regarding guard Steve Hutchinson.  Perhaps now that the Vikes have moved their long-term answer at quarterback out of town, Minny might give Condon a call about Brees.  

 

Culpepper was the team's eleventh overall selection in the 1999 draft.  The pick had been obtained from the Redskins as part of a trade for quarterback Brad Johnson, who ironically now presumes the No. 1 spot on the Vikings' depth chart.  

 

POSTED 12:37 p.m. EST; UPDATED 12:48 p.m. EST, March 14, 2006

 

GIVENS PICKS TITANS

 

Michael Smith of ESPN.com reports that former New England receiver David Givens has reached an agreement with the Tennessee Titans.  Per Smith, Givens will receive an $8 million signing bonus.

 

He picked the Titans over the Patriots and Texans.

 

Givens also visited with the Dolphins, and the Panthers recently expressed interest.

 

On Friday night, a canned article announcing his acquisition by the Browns inadvertently was posted on the team's live site.  On Sunday, The Houston Chronicle erroneously reported that Givens was re-signing with the Patriots.  Both of these developments threw a wrench into his efforts to find a new home.

 

In Tennessee, Givens now has the opportunity to become the No. 1 wideout in Norm Chow's offense, which could soon feature Matt Leinart or Jay Cutler or Vince Young at quarterback.

 

There are also reports that the Titans have signed former Jets center Kevin Mawae.

 

POSTED 9:09 a.m. EST; UPDATED 10:44 a.m. EST, March 14, 2006

 

T.O. GETS HIS FREEDOM TODAY

 

It's Tuesday, March 14.  The fourth day of the 2006 league year.

 

This means that if the Philadelphia Eagles don't cut Terrell Owens at some point during the course of the day, they'll be on the hook for $7.5 million in bonus money.

 

And here's a news flash -- we've learned from a league source that the Eagles will not be keeping him.

 

The Eagles have tried to trade Owens, but have received no serious offers.  The problem is that the consummation of a trade would require the Eagles to work out an acceptable compensation package with another team, and the other team would also have to work out an acceptable compensation package with Owens.  Besides, just as the Vikings are learning with Daunte Culpepper, no one is willing to give up very much for what amounts to squatting rights on a guy who's otherwise headed for the open market.

 

If the CBA hadn't been changed to prevent disciplinary deactivations, we think that the Eagles might have been tempted to pay Owens his bonus money and his $770,000 salary -- and to tell him to take the year off.  This would have blocked him from signing with any other team (such as the Cowboys), and it likewise would have prevented agent Drew Rosenhaus from earning a penny under the contract that was negotiated by David Joseph, Owens' former agent.

 

Even before getting the word that he'll be released, we didn't completely rule out the possibility that Eagles president Joe Banner might opt to give Owens the money and hold onto his rights.  We thought that there was a very slim chance it would have happened -- five percent at best -- but we know enough about Banner to know that he thought this thing through a thousand different ways, and that he would have loved to find a way to shut Owens down for as long as possible.

 

But it really is time to move on, and coach Andy Reid surely wants to get it over with.  Les Bowen of The Philadelphia Daily News calls Kansas City the most likely destination, and we're somewhat inclined to agree.  Although we initially believed that the Chiefs' stated interest in Owens was aimed merely at driving up the price that the Broncos would have to pay, the Chiefs have done nothing at all in free agency.  Yet.  Their first big splash could be coming soon.    

 

Other possibilities are the Cowboys, Broncos, Bucs, and Dolphins.  We also have a funny feeling that a surprise team might spring out of nowhere on this one.  

 

In Seattle, for example, 2006 very well could be the last year of coaching for Mike Holmgren.  At a time when they're likely inclined to let guard Steve Hutchinson meander to Minnesota, why not spend the money that was earmarked for Hutch on a guy who can help take the franchise the rest of the way to a Super Bowl title?

 

In Holmgren's last game with the Packers, he got a first-hand glimpse of what T.O. can do (i.e., "Owens!  Owens!  He caught it!  He caught it!").  Maybe it'd be fitting for the Big Show's last game ever to involve Owens making the difference between a Lombardi and another second-place finish.

 

KESSLER'S QUEST WAS TO CHANGE CBA

 

Speaking of Owens, we're told that several of the various player-friendly changes to the rules set forth in the new CBA were the direct result of the hard-headed determination of NFLPA lawyer Jeffrey Kessler, who used the negotiations as a way to address his frustrations with the arbitrator's ruling in the Owens grievance from last November.

 

Kessler, we hear, was convinced that Owens would prevail after the hearing in Philly.  And Kessler was shocked and dismayed when arbitrator Richard Bloch ruled completely and totally in the Eagles' favor.

 

But since the union's only recourse at the time was to fire Bloch, Kessler became determined to fix the problem moving forward by changing the CBA. 

 

So, in a roundabout way, players who no longer have to fear being sent home with pay or facing bonus repayment obligations for a broad range of misconduct should thank T.O. for his 2005 turdishness.  Without it, certain key portions of the agreement would not have been revised.  

 

And certain once and future turds might actually have seen real consequences for their actions.