Dolphins sign Ted Ginn

It is now being reported by the Sun-Sentinel that the deal that had been reached between Ginn and the Dolphins earlier is a reported five-year deal that is worth $13 million guaranteed.

Barely missing the noon deadline for all players to report on the first official day of training camp, Dolphins first-round draft pick Ted Ginn Jr. agreed to terms on a five-year contract with the Dolphins, according to one source.

The Dolphins also chose not to comment, but another source confirmed that Ginn received approximately $13 million in guaranteed money.

The contract is expected to be signed shortly. All signed players were expected to attend a team meeting at 1 p.m., and the second source said Ginn was there. Practice begins tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. and Ginn is expected to be there.

side note: Photo taken from the NFL Fanhouse

Rams give Marc Bulger a lot of money

ESPN's Chris Mortensen is reporting that the St.Louis Rams and quarterback, Marc Bulger have agreed to a six-year $62.5 million deal.

Bulger's new deal includes $26.5 million in guaranteed money, sources said. He participated in the team's first on-field practice Friday morning after missing Thursday's meeting meeting when the Rams reported to camp.

Bulger had recently stated that he wasn't happy and wanted a new contract, he even went as far as saying he could stage a training camp holdout until they agreed to do so. But now that he has a new deal that will pay him in upwards of $10 million per year, it puts Bulger in company with the other elite quarterbacks that are making at least that. That list includes the Bengals' Carson Palmer(woot woot), the Colts' Peyton Manning, the Packers' Brett Favre, the Patriots' Tom Brady and the Falcons' Mike Vick. Although I hate the Rams, I have to give them props for doing the right thing and re-signing Bulger, he's one of the, if not the most underrated quarterbacks in the NFL and he deserves every penny.

It's official, David Clowney is a Packer

Former Virginia Tech Hokie wide reciever, David Clowney, became the first draft pick by the Green Bay Packers to sign his rookie contract. The contract was annouced on the team's official page, but the details of the deal have yet to be released.

Clowney, who was drafted in the fifth-round, has been impressive so far this offseason and it was clear the Packers wanted to lock him up. His agent, Brian Mackler, claimed the deal was for four-years. That is the longest contract a third-round pick or later can receive and will keep him from becoming an unrestricted free agent until after his third season.

Clowney, a former track star, is a burner with huge play making ability and he should make a great duo with Brett Favre in the "Frozen Tundra". Expect him to get a lot of play also, because it's not like the Packers have a lot of receivers in front of him, Donald Driver and Greg Jennings are the only two that come to mind. I think he's going to turn out to be a steal, watch out for him, he's a good one.

Bengals re-sign DE, Justin Smith

The Cincinnati Bengals re-signed defensive end, Justin Smith to a one-year contract and team officials said they are currently working on a long-term contract with Smith.

The Bengals had designated Smith as their franchise player in February. That ensured that the Bengals could keep Smith by matching any offer sheet he signed with another team, and that Smith would be guaranteed $8.6 million, the average salary of the top five defensive ends next season.

Smith is a seven-year veteran and was the Bengals' first-round draft pick from Missouri in 2001. He has led Cincinnati's defensive line in tackles in each of the last five seasons and had a career high with 110 tackles last season and ranked second on the team with 7.5 sacks.

Here is a list of recent Bengals' free-agent signings that I have regrettably neglected to post.

Ed Hartwell, OLB
*Earl Everett, LB (Florida)
*Matt Muncy, LB (Ohio)
*Cameron Siskowic, LB (Illinois State)
* Xzavie Jackson, DE (Missouri)
*Daniel Coats, TE (BYU)
*Jeff Smith, QB (Georgetown)
*Dane Uperesa, OT (Hawaii)
*Stan White, FB (Ohio State)
*Bryan Andrews, DE (Wake Forest)
*Jesse Holley, WR (North Carolina)
*Tony Kays, WR (California-Davis)
*Harrison Nikolao, OG (Eastern Washington)
*Elliot Seifert, OT(Temple)
*T.J. Wright, CB (Ohio)

*= Rookies

Steve Smith gets a new contract

According to USAToday, the Carolina Panthers and wide receiver, Steve Smith, have agreed on a new 6-year $45 million contract that would keep the three-time Pro-Bowl receiver in Carolina through the 2012 season. This new deal will make Smith the NFL's second-highest paid wide receiver, only behind the deal Marvin Harrison signed with the Colts. The deal is said to be very balanced rather than backloaded like a lot of deals these days are. Smith was Carolina's third-round pick in 2001. Used primarily as a kick returner as a rookie, Smith became Carolina's go-to receiver in their Super Bowl season in 2003.

UPDATE:

The deal is being reported by ESPN also.

His agent, Derrick Fox, said he wasn't authorized to release exact figures, but said Smith's new deal makes him among the five highest-paid receivers in the NFL.

"Steve wanted to complete his career with the Panthers and bring Carolina a Super Bowl," Fox said. "This gives him peace of mind."

The 28-year-old Smith had three years left on a six-year, $27 million contract. He was scheduled to make $3.1, $3.6 and $4.2 million over the next three seasons, but now will make significantly more.

Smith had been hoping to get a new deal for some time and the Panthers had made a long-term deal one of their top priorities after they released veteran receiver Keyshawn Johnson last week.

Smith led the Panthers again, in catches, yards and touchdowns last season with 83 receptions for 1,166 yards and 8 touchdowns(not included in that was one rushing touchdown). Smith definitely deserves this new contract, he's been the premier playmaking receiver for the past few years.