Durango53
04-28-2004, 01:29 PM
:) Linebacker Ian Gold, the best remaining free agent, reached an agreement with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they completed a busy offseason.
Activity for Gold picked up right before the draft with three teams, including the Bucs, trying to fulfill linebacker needs by signing Gold. The Broncos tried to keep him and were one of the teams trying to complete a deal, according to his agent, Carl Poston.
But the Bucs worked out a seven-year deal that will void to five years. A breakdown of the deal was not available, but it could be worth as much as $30 million over the five years of the contract.
Tuesday's agreement ends a long negotiation for a player considered one of the most attractive in free agency. Gold is a 6-foot, 223-pound linebacker whose game is built on speed. He's considered one of the fastest linebackers in the game.
The former second-round choice of the Broncos would have been an ideal fit for the Bears, who were interested in making him a weakside linebacker. The Saints, Vikings and Falcons were among other teams that tried to get him to sign.
:)
Activity for Gold picked up right before the draft with three teams, including the Bucs, trying to fulfill linebacker needs by signing Gold. The Broncos tried to keep him and were one of the teams trying to complete a deal, according to his agent, Carl Poston.
But the Bucs worked out a seven-year deal that will void to five years. A breakdown of the deal was not available, but it could be worth as much as $30 million over the five years of the contract.
Tuesday's agreement ends a long negotiation for a player considered one of the most attractive in free agency. Gold is a 6-foot, 223-pound linebacker whose game is built on speed. He's considered one of the fastest linebackers in the game.
The former second-round choice of the Broncos would have been an ideal fit for the Bears, who were interested in making him a weakside linebacker. The Saints, Vikings and Falcons were among other teams that tried to get him to sign.
:)