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Pats, Washington still talking: Negotiations are heading into the final day for Patriots defensive tackle Ted Washington and it's possible he could hit free agency.

Washington has been asking for a three-year, $8 million deal since November. The Patriots had been reluctant to invest to meet that number because he's 36. In recent days, though, the Patriots have considered meeting that demand.

Washington is perhaps the NFL's best run-stopping defensive tackles and played a significant role in the Patriots last season Super Bowl run. It is expected that he would get much more than $2.66 million a year on the open free agent market.
-- John Clayton, ESPN.com

Hochstein re-signs: Guard Russ Hochstein re-signed on Monday, just before he was scheduled to become a restricted free agent.

Hochstein, 26, was inserted into the lineup when Damien Woody was injured early in the divisional championship game against Tennessee. He started the AFC championship game against Indianapolis and the Super Bowl against Carolina as part of an offensive line that did not allow a sack.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Hochstein was selected by Tampa Bay in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL draft out of Nebraska. He was signed by the Patriots in October 2002, and entered the 2003 season on the team's practice squad.

He was activated on Sept. 14 and appeared in 14 of the next 15 games.

The team did not disclose terms of the deal. A phone call to Hochstein's agent Monday was not immediately returned.
-- Associated Press

Bills release Pro Bowl guard: Anticipated for some time now, the Bills released eight-time Pro Bowl left guard Ruben Brown on Monday, a maneuver that freed up about $1.8 million in cap room as a Wednesday deadline nears for all teams to comply with the NFL's $80.6 million salary cap.

Brown, 32, was due to earn a base salary of $2.7 million and an incentives bonus of $1.8 million. His salary cap charge for this season was a whopping $5.8 million, monstrous for any guard -- even one who has been named to the last eight Pro Bowls. He will count $4 million against the Bills' 2004 cap.

There has been much speculation that the Bills would jettison Brown, regarded as one of the league's more overrated players, and pursue Patriots lineman Damien Woody, who will become an unrestricted free agent Wednesday.

A first-round pick in the 1995 draft, Brown moved into the starting lineup as a rookie and had been a fixture at left guard. He never started fewer than 13 games in a season. He did cause a stir by opting to sit out Buffalo's 2003 regular-season finale, citing depression.

In a statement released through the Bills, Brown said: "I know there were questions surrounding the way the season ended last year, and I have chosen to keep those issues personal. Many of those issues have been resolved and my life has moved on from that point."
-- Len Pasquarelli, ESPN.com

Flynn agrees to terms: The Ravens re-signed starting center Mike Flynn on Monday to a five-year contract.

Flynn's return means four of the five starting linemen who blocked for Jamal Lewis' 2,066-yard season are under contract for next season. Right tackle Orlando Brown is a free agent.

Flynn, 30, started 16 games last season for the AFC North champions and has started 63 since joining the team in 1997. The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder moved to center to replace Jeff Mitchell after the Ravens Super Bowl title in 2000.
-- The Associated Press

Guard Timmerman back on board: The Rams preserved continuity in their offensive line by reaching a five-year agreement late Monday night to prevent guard Adam Timmerman from hitting the free agent market Wednesday.

Timmerman went to the Rams in 1999 as a cornerstone in turning around the attitude of the offensive line. An agricultural business student at South Dakota State, Timmerman brought a hard-work ethic and toughness to the line.

After spending five years with the Rams, Timmerman faced a critical juncture in his career. Did he hit the free agent market at the age of 32 or did he want to stay and finish his career as a Ram.

The two sides settled on an acceptable deal Monday night. The right side of the Rams line is considered one of the best in football with Timmerman at right guard and Kyle Turley at right tackle.

Timmerman went to Pro Bowls in 1999 and 2001.
-- John Clayton, ESPN.com

Jets release Lewis, two starting safeties: Linebacker Mo Lewis and starting safeties Sam Garnes and Tyrone Carter were released in moves to create salary-cap space.

The players were due to make a total of nearly $3 million next season, with Lewis slated for $1.65 million.

A third-round draft choice in 1991, Lewis started 200 games for the Jets in 13 NFL seasons. He ranks second in team history with 1,370 tackles and fourth with 52½ sacks and went to three Pro Bowls.

Garnes played five years with the Giants before signing with the Jets two seasons ago. He started at strong safety the past two seasons.

Carter started the final 10 games at free safety last season after Jon McGraw was injured. He signed with the Jets as a free agent last season after beginning his career with Minnesota.

The Jets also signed free-agent running back Kenton Keith, who played in the Canadian Football League. The team signed quarterback Ricky Ray from the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos last week.
-- The Associated Press

Johnson tendered one-year deal: The Bengals put halfback Rudi Johnson's price at first- and third-round choices, offering him a one-year deal at $1.824 million.

Johnson finished the season as the Bengals' leading rusher (957 yards on 215 carries). The Bengals still have Corey Dillon on their roster. Dillon is seeking a trade, but coach Marvin Lewis said last week that there's been no interest.

In a cap related move, the Bengals released defensive tackle Oliver Gibson, who was scheduled to make $1.85 million. Gibson still had three years left on his contract. His release saves the Bengals $708,000 under the salary cap.
-- John Clayton, ESPN.com

Bennett agrees to 3-year deal: The Titans found a way to keep two of their best three young receivers on the roster without them eating up too much cap room.

First, Tennessee reached a three-year agreement with Drew Bennett, who caught 32 passes despite only eight starts. Bennett's deal is worth around $6 million; half of it is guaranteed with signing bonus and an option bonus. By going that route, Bennett will make close to $1 million this season in order to keep the '04 cap number around $640,000. That's important because the Titans entered Monday more than $14 million over the league limit.

There are plenty of incentives in Bennett's deal that could add more than $2 million to the contract over three years based on how he performs. He will make more than $3 million in 2005, the second year of the agreement. He was scheduled to be a restricted free agent and to prevent him from leaving via free agency, the Titans might have had to tender him with first-round compensation. That would have meant a $1.368 million cap number.

Then, to prevent receiver Justin McCareins from departing, the Titans are expected to tender him at that first-round level at $1.368 million. McCareins caught 47 passes for 813 yards last season, second best on the team.
-- John Clayton, ESPN.com

Now the money looks good: Some teams that exercised the "franchise" designation on would-be unrestricted players could be in for a surprise this week. Agents for three of the 10 "franchise" players indicated to ESPN.com that their clients are considering signing qualifying offers now to guarantee the money that comes from such designation.

By doing so, the players would at least guarantee the amount of the qualifying offer and would be assured of receiving as much in 2004.

The rationale: Teams that are tight against the cap can rescind the designation at any time. That would make the player an unrestricted free agent but also cast him into what figures to be a very uncertain market.

Said one agent: "You don't want to see the opportunity to grab that guaranteed money suddenly disappear. You can sign the [qualifying offer] now, basically get the money in hand, and then keep talking about a long-term deal."
-- Len Pasquarelli, ESPN.com

Meadows' options are Panthers, Falcons: Officially released by the Indianapolis Colts last week, veteran offensive lineman Adam Meadows has wasted no time seeking future alternatives. ESPN.com has learned that Meadows will visit with Carolina Panthers officials on Monday and Tuesday and that he's also drawn quick interest from the Atlanta Falcons.

Meadows, 30, was a starter for the Colts the first six seasons of his seven-year career. He lost his spot in the starting lineup last spring when Colt coaches decided to elevate Ryan Diem to starter at right tackle.

The versatile Meadows, a second-round pick in the 1997 draft, began his career at left tackle, then settled in at right tackle in his second season. But he also played guard last season and some teams project him in that position. Carolina, for instance, might need a guard. One starter from 2003, Kevin Donnalley, retired two weeks ago. The other, Jeno James, is eligible for unrestricted free agency.

Meadows, a former University of Georgia star, has appeared in 103 games (96 starts). He would prefer, if possible, to continue his career with a team that plays close to his home in the Atlanta area.

Meanwhile, the Colts and defensive tackle Josh Williams agreed to a six-year contract. He was to become an unrestricted free agent Wednesday.
-- Len Pasquarelli, ESPN.com

Dolphins under par with salary cap: The Dolphins will announce their final cap moves Tuesday. They went from being $14 million over the cap to $8 million under the cap in the past month.

To get under the cap, the Dolphins renegotiated eight contracts. They also released 11 players, a list that includes offensive linemen Mark Dixon, Todd Perry and Tim Ruddy, wide receiver James McKnight and safeties Brock Marion and Trent Gamble.

The odds are favoring quarterback Jay Fiedler now staying in Miami. More than a week ago, the Dolphins gave Fiedler the ability to talk to other teams. After spending more than a week talking about opportunities, Fiedler plans to meet with the Dolphins Tuesday and discuss reducing his $3.7 million salary and foregoing a $2 million option bonus.
-- John Clayton, ESPN.com

Bears cut Stewart: Kordell Stewart was released, ending a disappointing one-year run with the quarterback.

The Bears also released defensive end Phillip Daniels, and offered contracts to offensive linemen Mike Gandy and Steve Edwards, defensive end Joe Tafoya and receiver Ahmad Merritt.

Stewart signed a two-year, $5 million deal as a free agent nearly a year ago. He began the season as the Bears' starter, struggled and then lost the job to Chris Chandler before getting it back.

Chicago then turned to rookie Rex Grossman as their starter, and he is the Bears' quarterback of the future with a new coaching staff headed by Lovie Smith.

Daniels started 59 games for the Bears in four seasons.

"We decided to release Phillip and Kordell because it was in the best interest of all parties," Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. "Our recent philosophical changes on offense and defense do no fit their skill sets as well as the previous systems did."
-- Associated Press

Falcons cut Buchanon, Rogers: Cornerback Ray Buchanan, an 11-year veteran whose ability and flamboyant style made him one of the team's most popular players until his skills slipped the last two seasons, was let go by Atlanta.

The Falcons also said they have cut 10-year veteran linebacker Sam Rogers as the team clears contracts in advance of the April 24-25 NFL draft.

The 5-foot-9, 186-pound Buchanan, touted as "Big Play Ray," joined the Falcons as an unrestricted free agent from Indianapolis in March 1997.

Last season, he started eight of the 15 games he played in and finished with 41 combined tackles, 11 pass breakups and one interception. Buchanan was originally a third-round draft choice by the Colts out of Louisville in 1993.

His career totals include 875 tackles, 46 interceptions, 146 pass breakups, five forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.

Rogers, 6-3 and 245 pounds, signed with Atlanta as a free agent in 2002 after being waived by the San Diego Chargers before the start of training camp. He was limited to two games in 2003 after a knee injury prematurely ended his season.

Rogers was originally a second-round draft choice by Buffalo out of Colorado. His career totals include 588 tackles, 30 sacks and two interceptions during time with Buffalo, San Diego and Atlanta.
-- Associated Press

Bradford promoted to special teams coach: Ronnie Bradford was promoted to special teams coach and named two assistants.

Bradford, an NFL defensive back for 11 seasons, was the Broncos' special teams assistant last season. He replaces Frank Bush, who became linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals.

Denver named Troy Calhoun as offensive assistant to Bradford and hired Kirk Doll as his defensive assistant.

Calhoun was Denver's defensive assistant in 2003. Doll spent the last two seasons as assistant head coach and linebackers coach at LSU, where he helped guide the Tigers to a share of the national championship.
-- Associated Press