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JAGUARSNews

Friday, March 9, 2001

Story last updated at 9:12 p.m. on Friday, March 9, 2001

Ex-Jaguar Stai joins Lions

By John Oehser
Times-Union sports writer

A little more than a week after the Jaguars' roster purge, guard Brenden Stai became the first of the purged to join another team.

Stai, one of 15 players released by the Jaguars a week and a half ago in their effort to get under the NFL salary cap, agreed to a five-year deal with the Detroit Lions late Wednesday night, his agent said Friday.

"Brenden's very pleased with the situation," his agent, Paul Sheehy, said. "It was an 11th-hour deal, but this is what Brenden wanted."

Stai, 28, was acquired by the Jaguars last preseason in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for what became a fourth-round choice in next month's draft.

He started 16 games at right guard for the Jaguars but was released because he would have cost the team nearly $1.8 million against the cap next season.

Stai, who spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Steelers, visited the Lions on the first day of free agency last Friday, but the sides were apart on the amount of the signing bonus, Sheehy said.

Stai was about to board a plane in Los Angeles to fly to New York to visit the Jets yesterday when the Lions offered more up-front money, believed to be near $3.5 million.

Stai's departure last week, along with offensive tackles Leon Searcy and Todd Fordham also becoming free agents, left the Jaguars thin on the right side of the offensive line. Zach Wiegert, expected to start at right guard, started the first eight games of last season at right tackle in place of the injured Searcy, but no other player on the roster has started at right tackle.

Ross Verba, a free agent guard/tackle from the Packers, said this week that he had been contacted by the Jaguars. Verba, however, played on the left side, and is likely seeking at least a $3 million signing bonus.

The Jaguars are $149,000 under the NFL's salary cap and can sign no free agents until room is cleared. The team is negotiating with quarterback Mark Brunell in an effort to clear cap room and is exploring options -- including a trade -- with linebacker Kevin Hardy to clear cap room.

ETC., ETC. -- Searcy said he hopes to sign with the Ravens as a free agent after visiting Baltimore Wednesday, but a deal likely won't occur until after the weekend when Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome returns from the NFL's competition committee meeting. Searcy's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, declined comment on the specifics of Searcy's situation, saying only, "We're talking with a number of teams. Things are picking up." ... Linebacker Brant Boyer, who -- like Searcy -- the team would like to re-sign, may be on the verge of signing with another team, his agent, Joe Linta, said yesterday. Boyer visited the Browns this week, but Linta declined to identify the team most interested in the Jaguars' former special teams ace.


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