Eagles Notes: Saints opt to let Birds have Bell
ORLANDO - The New Orleans Saints had until 11:59 last night to match the Eagles' offer for restricted free agent Mike Bell, but league sources said they would not do so.
ORLANDO - The New Orleans Saints had until 11:59 last night to match the Eagles' offer for restricted free agent Mike Bell, but league sources said they would not do so.
The running back, who signed the offer sheet last week, will receive a one-year, $1.7 million contract, with $500,000 guaranteed.
"We're cautiously optimistic," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said yesterday. "We're talking to the people from the Saints. It seems like the direction they were going in was to not match."
The Eagles will not have to surrender any draft picks. (New Orleans gave Bell a low tender offer that did not require compensation if he signed elsewhere.) Because Bell would be a third option behind Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas, the Saints decided not to match the offer.
The Eagles are hoping the 26-year-old Bell can complement second-year running back LeSean McCoy. The 6-foot, 225-pound Bell ran for 654 yards on 172 carries and scored five rushing touchdowns last season.
Extra points
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he had no interest in signing Brian Westbrook. . . . Roseman said that the Eagles expect Ellis Hobbs to be back by next season. The cornerback and kick returner suffered a neck injury in November and needed surgery to correct a herniated disk. The Eagles made an offer to Hobbs, a restricted free agent, at a first-round compensation level.