14 Jan 11 New Orleans Saints expected to file paperwork with the NFL and the players' union by Wednesday to designate DE Darren Howard as a franchise

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Saints expected to file paperwork with the NFL and the players' union by Wednesday to designate defensive end Darren Howard as a franchise free agent, General Manager Mickey Loomis said.The move would require the Saints to pay Howard a $7.8 million base salary in 2005 - a 20 percent Philadelphia Eagles jersey
increase from the $6.5 million salary he received as a franchise free agent in 2004. The club has until February 22 to make an official designation."It's just one of tools teams have to keep high quality players they feel probably would be gone otherwise, and I don't think there's any doubt Darren would have a number of suitors," Howard's agent, Gary Wichard, said Tuesday.Although he missed three games and at times played through neck and knee injuries, he led the Saints with 11 sacks, his most since his rookie season in 2000. "He's a really good player," Loomis said. "We've got a lot of time and effort invested in him, and we don't want to see it go to waste. He had a really good year for us last season, and we want to keep as many good players here as we can."He has made a team-high 41 sacks in five seasons since joining the Saints as the first draft pick after Jim Haslett took over as coach in 2000. With then-general manager Randy Mueller directing the team's draft, Howard was selected in the second round with the No. 33 overall pick.Under terms of the franchise Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
designation, Howard may negotiate with other teams, but the Saints can match any offer he receives. If they elect not to match the offer, they would receive two first-round draft picks from Howard's new team as compensation.The Saints also could trade Howard, which would clear his entire salary from the salary cap. Some teams have used the franchise tag to retain the rights to top players in order to trade them, but Loomis declined to comment on whether the Saints would consider trading Howard if a long-term deal can't be completed with the 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive end.Wichard said Howard would be comfortable playing for New Orleans long-term."I would love to sit with them and work out a long-term deal," Wichard said. "It's where he started his career. This certainly would be a great situation San Diego Chargers jersey
for him to finish his career there. He's very comfortable with the organization and obviously they're very comfortable with him."With Howard, the Saints would have more than $10.4 million in salary cap money devoted to defensive ends. Charles Grant and Will Smith, two former first-round draft picks, will count $1.3 million each against the cap.Loomis said Howard's salary will be relatively hefty, but that he would "find a way to make it work. It's always a tough decision to franchise a player. But, if you're going to have depth and be good at a position that's a good place to be good at, that's a good problem to have," Loomis said.