Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is weeks away from wrapping up a deal as monster-sized as he is.

He could be the NFL’s new $60 million man.

Asked this week about the type of deal Haynesworth would command this offseason when he becomes an unrestricted free agent, league executives estimated that the Titans defensive tackle would land a five- or six-year deal worth an average of about $10 million per season, with well over $25 million guaranteed.

It’s easy enough to figure how they derived the figures. The game’s highest paid defensive ends, Indianapolis’ Dwight Freeney and Minnesota’s Jared Allen, make about $12 million per season. The game’s highest-paid defensive tackle, Chicago’s Tommie Harris, makes about $8 million per season.

Haynesworth is regarded as one of the NFL’s top defensive tackles, if not the best. Almost every team in the league needs one, but teams that could wind up making a run at Hayneworth include Atlanta, Denver, Indianapolis, Tampa Bay and, of course, Tennessee, which will want to retain its Pro Bowl defensive tackle.

For now, Haynesworth is resting his sprained knee and is expected back for the playoffs.

Posted in: Adam Schefter  | comments  |