Backup quarterback Mark Brunell rejected a contract offer by the Philadelphia Eagles, in effect canceling a trade from the Green Bay Packers.
The newspaper said Brunell and the Eagles could not agree on a deal that would allow the Eagles to maintain Brunell's rights for the next four years. The Eagles were not willing to make the trade without a guarantee that they would have signed Brunell, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Friday.
The report said a league source said the Eagles' latest offer was a four-year contract worth $3.8 million. The deal reportedly included a $400,000 signing bonus and salaries of $200,000 in 1995, $500,000 in '96, $1.2 million in '97 and $1.5 million in '98.
The Eagles want to sign Brunell to a long-term contract because he will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in two years. But Brunell and his agent, Frank Bauer, were reportedly not happy with the total payoff and sought more money in the latter years.
The Packers and Eagles had agreed in principle on a deal that would have sent Brunell to Philadelphia for second- and fifth-round draft choices in the NFL draft this weekend, the Journal Sentinel said.
The Packers will have to offer Brunell to other teams if they hope to land additional draft choices. The Packers do not have picks in the second and fifth rounds.