Saints retain Stinchcomb

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Stinchcomb agrees to two-year, $7M deal with Saints

ESPN.com news services

New Orleans Saints: Offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb, who overcame a catastrophic knee injury to resurrect his career in 2006, has agreed to a two-year contract that will keep him with the Saints. The contract is worth $7 million and will pay Stinchcomb $5 million in 2007, between his signing bonus and base salary.

Stinchcomb, 27, drew interest from other teams on the opening day of the NFL's free agent period, but opted to remain with a Saints team that brought him into the league in 2003. He also turned down a longer-term offer from the Saints, one that would have included a larger signing bonus, after he and agent Pat Dye Jr. decided the two-year contract actually offered more flexibility.

The shorter deal will allow Stinchcomb, who has only started one year, to further establish himself and then be eligible again for free agency in the spring of 2009.

A second-round choice in the '03 draft, Stinchcomb appeared in only 10 games, none as a starter, in his first three seasons. Stinchcomb sustained a ruptured right patella tendon in training camp in 2005, sidelining him the entire season and jeopardizing his career. But he rehabilitated diligently, won a starting spot in training camp and performed at a high level all season as the Saints won the division title.

-- ESPN.com senior writer Len Pasquarelli