Eagles grab Curtis before Titans
March 16th, 2007 | by Kevin Morris |
This time, the Philadelphia Eagles got the better of the Tennessee Titans.
The Eagles agreed to a six-year deal, worth $32 million, with free agent wide receiver Kevin Curtis of the St. Louis Rams. It contains $9.5 million in guaranteed money, including a $7.5 million signing bonus.
The Titans had had Curtis in Tennessee for a visit Tuesday and were in the mix to land him, according to agent Bruce Tollner.
“They were very close. It was a very intriguing opportunity to have the chance to go down there and be a part of coach [Norm] Chow’s offense,” Tollner said. “Their offer was very intriguing.”
The Titans managed to snatch restricted free agent linebacker Ryan Fowler away from the Eagles on Monday with a four-year, $11.5 million offer sheet, that the Dallas Cowboys have until Monday to match or let Fowler go to the Titans.
Curtis had 40 catches for the Rams last season, operating mostly as the team’s third receiver behind Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce.
Ironically, the deal Curtis got from the Eagles is similar to the one the Rams gave former Titan Drew Bennett to replace him in St. Louis. Bennett got $30 million with $10 million guaranteed on the first weekend of free agency.
In the end, the Eagles proved the most attractive option for Curtis, both in terms of joining a playoff team, having a chance to start and in terms of financial compensation.
“He had a great feel about the situation, and there are all the obvious factors that weigh into it, and that was the direction he chose,” Tollner said.
The Titans are still thin at the receiver position after losing out on Curtis. They have had some talks with Chicago’s Justin Gage, who was also in for a visit on Tuesday.
Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt acknowledged recently that restricted free agent Terrence Copper of New Orleans has been discussed internally as a possibility, but as of Thursday, no contact between the sides had been made.
The agent for New York Jets receiver Justin McCareins, a former Titan, said he now believes the Jets will attempt to trade McCareins rather than simply release him.
McCareins, a 2001 draft pick of the Titans, is scheduled to make $3 million this season in New York.
“I don’t think they’re going to release him. I think they might hold on to him and perhaps try to make a draft day trade,” said agent Cliff Brady, who said he had no knowledge of any talks between the Jets and Titans.
Also, agent Mitch Frankel, who represents Mike Williams, said to his knowledge there have been no talks between the Detroit Lions and Titans about the former first-round pick.
The Titans did have safety Bryan Scott in for a visit, as scheduled, Thursday, and will host veteran linebacker Shawn Barber on Friday.
