The San Diego Chargers agreed to a two-year, $8.75 million contract with free agent defensive end Dwight Freeney, according to multiple reports. Freeney also reportedly has incentives in the contract tied to the number of sacks he gets that could make the deal worth up to $13.35 million.
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The San Diego Chargers agreed Saturday to a two-year deal with aging star pass rusher Dwight Freeney that could be worth $13.35 million.
Dwight Freeney will be reuniting with Peyton Manning in a different way this season. With the Broncos ultimately dismissing Manning?s effort to get his former Colts teammate to Denver, Freeney will now spend one-eighth of the 2013 season chasing Peyton around. Freeney officially is a Charger, where he?ll remain a 3-4 linebacker for the second?
The San Diego Chargers agreed to a two-year, $8.75 million contract with free agent defensive end Dwight Freeney, according to multiple reports on Saturday.
As first reported by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney has agreed to a two-year deal with the San Diego Chargers.
Freeney had a two-day meeting (Wednesday and Thursday) with the Chargers, who were in the market for pass-rush help after losing Shaun Phillips to free agency and Melvin Ingram to a torn ACL. Phillips led the Chargers with 9.5 sacks last season and his departure, to AFC West rival Denver Broncos, was expected to be cushioned by a larger role for Ingram, a 2012 first-round pick who suffered what will likely be a season-ending knee injury during the team's second day of OTA practices .
The 33-year-old Freeney spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Indianapolis Colts, earning seven trips to the Pro Bowl while becoming that franchise's all-time leader in sacks with 107.5. Most of Freeney's production came during his first ten seasons as a defensive end in a 4-3 system. Last season, the Colts hired Chuck Pagano as head coach and, in a new 3-4 system, Freeney was moved to outside linebacker. Freeney posted just five sacks, his lowest total since notching 3.5 sacks in an injury-shortened 2007 season.
