http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3271283
The New York Jets and guard Alan Faneca have tentatively agreed to a four-year, $32 million deal that includes roughly $23 million in guarantees, ESPN's Michael Smith reports. Faneca is expected to travel to New York this weekend, when the deal will be finalized. The Jets plan to play Faneca at left guard.
The departure of Faneca, a former LSU standout who had spent his entire 10-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, isn't much of a surprise. Although he was an unrestricted free agent, the seven-time Pro Bowler was clearly irked with the team heading into last season for its refusal to trade him or give him a contract extension he felt he was worth.
Guards such as Eric Steinbach, Derrick Dockery, Leonard Davis and Kris Dielman all signed new contracts last spring, either as free agents with new teams or extensions with their incumbent franchises, and all received deals worth about $7 million per year. Only Dielman, who was a Pro Bowl alternate last season, has ever appeared in a Pro Bowl game.
Faneca said last spring that the Steelers' only offer to him wouldn't have made him one of the NFL's 10 highest-paid guards. He made $4.375 million last season in the final year of a $25.6 million deal he signed in 2002, but that deal was renegotiated to help the Steelers get under the salary cap.
He said last spring he would like to be traded but was resigned with staying with Pittsburgh for a final season. He skipped the Steelers' organized team activities practices in May, but did show up on time for the team's training camp.