Darius signs one-year franchise tender

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 25 (UPI) -- Safety Donovin Darius, the anchor of the Jacksonville Jaguars' secondary, signed the club's one-year tender offer Tuesday as a franchise player.

By signing the deal, Darius will be paid as one of the top five players in the league at his position, or at least $3.04 million for this coming season.

Darius, 27, has been a starter for the Jaguars at strong safety since being drafted in the first round out of Syracuse in 1998. Last season, the 6-1, 214-pounder finished third on the team with 69 tackles while also collecting one interception and a sack.

A physical player, Darius has played in 71 games in his career - all starts - and is second in club history with 500 tackles. He also has amassed eight interceptions and a touchdown.

Jacksonville, which went 6-10 in 2002, has made a committment to defense this offseason under new Coach Jack Del Rio. The club has signed defensive end Hugh Douglas and linebackers Mike Peterson and Keith Mitchell.

The Jaguars on Tuesday also agreed to terms with restricted free agent linebacker Bobby Brooks, who played in three games last season, primarily on special teams.