Star defensive end Simeon Rice agreed to a deal with the Broncos today, the team and Rice confirmed.
According to an NFL source, Rice agreed to one-year, $3 million deal with the Broncos, with $1 million of that money tied to incentives.
Rice dined with Broncos coach Mike Shanahan on Saturday night, then began serious negotiations with the team today.
With 121 career sacks while playing with Arizona and Tampa Bay in his 11-year career, Rice is 13th on the NFL all-time sacks list. He needs eight more sacks to move into the top 10, and another 17 would put Rice into the NFL’s top five.
Rice, 33, could help strengthen a Broncos defensive line that has been in flux since the final week of training camp. The Broncos wound up dumping veteran defensive tackles Gerard Warren and Jimmy Kennedy, and lost defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban to a season-ending Achilles injury.
“I think I can change a defense,” Rice said Saturday night. “Another thing I like about Denver is that it’s a historical franchise.”
After never missing a game because of injury through his first 10 seasons, Rice was hampered in 2006 by a season-long shoulder ailment that eventually required surgery. When Rice didn’t pass the team physical prior to training camp, Tampa Bay wanted him back only at a pay cut from the $7.25 million he was scheduled to make this season. Rice refused and was released to free agency.
Staff writer Mike Klis contributed to this report.
Staff writer Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
