Quarterback David Garrard and the Jacksonville Jaguars are closing in on a new contract that would be the richest in franchise history and could be finalized as early as this week.
The two sides have been working diligently toward an agreement since the end of the season. They met face to face in Indianapolis at the scouting combine last month, and have exchanged contract proposals this week.
Enough progress has been made to where Garrard is now poised to become the next quarterback to cash in with a new blockbuster contract. Enough already have.
Already this offseason, Pittsburgh signed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to an eight-year, $102 million deal that included over $36 million in guaranteed money.
Cleveland signed restricted free-agent quarterback Derek Anderson to a three-year, $26 million contract that included $14.5 million in guaranteed money.
Last October, the Dallas Cowboys signed quarterback Tony Romo to a six-year, $67.5 million contract extension that included $30 million in guaranteed money.
And just last summer, the St. Louis Rams signed quarterback Marc Bulger to a six-year, $65 million deal with $27 million guaranteed.
Just look at those deals and feel free to judge where Garrard’s should come in. It is what the Jaguars and Garrard have spent the past few months doing.
Romo, Bulger and Anderson each have gone to the Pro Bowl, whereas Garrard hasn’t. But Garrard has proven he is one of the better quarterbacks in the game. He is 30 years old, headed into the last year of his contract, and both sides want to consummate a deal.
Soon enough they will -– maybe this week, maybe next, but not too long from now. After proving his value last season, Garrard is expected to be rewarded for it this offseason.
Hall pass
Raiders owner Al Davis wants to trade for and sign Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall. Hall wants to sign with and play for the Raiders. Now the two sides have to make it happen.
Hall is scheduled to fly to Oakland and meet with Davis on Wednesday night in a heavy-duty pow-wow. Yet, they do have significant differences to bridge. The issues that were unresolved Monday still were unresolved Tuesday, and will have to be addressed Wednesday night.
Three people familiar with the situation said talks were progressing, and there was a “50-50” chance that the Raiders and Hall would be able to reach an agreement. With both sides wanting to get it done, it would be logical to assume it will.
Oakland is further along, and seemingly more determined to land Hall, but multiple people said the talks could go either way.
Here is where Vic Carucci has Glenn Dorsey going in his latest mock draft:
3. Atlanta Falcons: Glenn Dorsey -- Dorsey's dominance should go a long way in allowing Mike Smith's defense-first mentality take hold. First, though, the Falcons will need to be satisfied that there are no lingering problems with Dorsey's tibia stress fracture that he said dates back to the summer of his junior season.
More mock drafts:
» NFL.com's 2008 mock draft
» Charles Davis' top-10 picks
Taking a knee
Questions persist about LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey's knee. A report on Jaguars.com this week said: "The risk with Dorsey is a mysterious knee injury. Dorsey hasn’t run for the scouts and there’s suspicion that he’s undergone knee surgery."
Yet, two sources confirmed Tuesday that Dorsey has not had knee surgery, which is consistent with what the defensive tackle told people at the scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Others have witnessed Dorsey running and training for his March 26 Pro Day at LSU, no signs of a knee injury. Questions might persist until he runs that day, but Dorsey intends to show NFL coaches and scouts that his knee is fine.
To prove his stock has not taken too much of a hit, the two teams that have shown the most interest in arranging private visits and workouts with Dorsey are the St. Louis Rams, who are scheduled to pick second overall, and the Falcons, who are scheduled to pick third.
Many consider Dorsey to be a surefire top-5 pick.
What Brown can do for you
Houston should be banned from drafting University of Tennessee tight end Chris Brown. It would be unfair.
It hasn't happened yet, but Chris Brown the Tennessee tight end should be taken off the Texans draft board. Immediately.
Landmark deals
When Pittsburgh reached agreement with free-agent center Justin Hartwig on a two-year, $4 million deal that included a $975,000 signing bonus, it represented a landmark for agent Drew Rosenhaus and his company Rosenhaus Sports.
This offseason, Rosenhaus Sports now has negotiated more than $440 million worth of contracts.