Injury-plagued defensive end Courtney Brown will be released on Monday by the Cleveland Browns if the club is unable to restructure the former No. 1 overall draft pick's contract.
Brown, who missed the final 14 games last season after undergoing foot surgery, is due a $2.5 million roster bonus on Tuesday.
The Browns may still re-sign Brown, who has missed 33 games with injuries the past four seasons. Team president John Collins said that the club will continue talks this weekend with agent Marvin Demoff about redoing Brown's contract.
"If we get past Tuesday, Courtney may want to talk to and visit some other teams," Collins said. "But I think there's still a chance he'll come back to the Browns."
Collins said Brown has met several times with new Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel and seems excited about his possible role with the Browns. Last month, Brown said he'd be willing to move to linebacker in the team's 3-4 defensive scheme.
Browns general manager Phil Savage told The Plain Dealer that he'll talk with Brown on Monday. He would like to retain Brown.
"We want to make sure Courtney understands this is something that we have to do, not something we want to do," Savage told the newspaper.
Injuries have severely limited Brown's playing time and production as a pass-rusher. He has played in only 47 games during his five seasons and has totaled just 17 sacks. His injuries have included a torn knee ligament, a high ankle sprain, microfracture knee surgery and a ruptured right biceps tendon.
If the 26-year-old is released, he will be the third underachieving first-round draft pick cut loose by the Browns in the past eight months.
Before last season, the Browns released quarterback Tim Couch, the expansion team's No. 1 pick in 1999. Defensive tackle Gerard Warren, the No. 3 pick in 2001, was traded to Denver this month for a fourth-round draft choice.
VIKINGS SIGN SHARPER: The Minnesota Vikings signed veteran safety Darren Sharper to a four-year contract on Saturday.
Sharper, cut by the Green Bay Packers in a cost-cutting move earlier this week, started at free safety the last six seasons and ranks fifth in team history with 36 interceptions. He led the team with four interceptions last year and scored three defensive touchdowns.
"Darren is very excited to be going to Minnesota," agent Joel Segal told The Associated Press.
The Packers tried to get Sharper to restructure his deal, but he balked at a pay cut, hoping he could make more on the open market than the approximately $2 million Green Bay was offering for 2005.
The signing was the latest move in a busy week for the Vikings, who also signed cornerback Fred Smoot to a six-year deal and resigned tight end Jermaine Wiggins. Free agent receiver Plaxico Burress also visited the Vikings this week, but left without a contract.
GARCIA JOINS LIONS: The Detroit Lions and Jeff Garcia agreed to terms on a one-year contract Saturday, reuniting the quarterback with coach Steve Mariucci. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Garcia was released by the Cleveland Browns on Feb. 22 after a tumultuous season. He went 144-of-253 for 1,731 yards with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 10 starts, while his relationship with then-coach Butch Davis became rocky. Garcia ended the season on injured reserve after tearing a knee ligament.
Before his disastrous year in Cleveland, Garcia spent five seasons with San Francisco and learned under Mariucci, who coached the 49ers from 1997-2002. The 35-year-old Garcia earned his second straight Pro Bowl selection in 2001 with the 49ers, completing 62.7 percent of his passes and throwing for 3,538 yards and 32 touchdowns that year.
RAIDERS ADD DE: The Oakland Raiders signed free agent defensive end Derrick Burgess on Saturday. Burgess started 11 games for Philadelphia last season and had 10 tackles and three sacks during the Eagles' playoff run.