For the past 24 hours, we've been in search of truth and rumors in regards to Brian Dawkins' future.

The chase is now over.

About 90 minutes ago, Les Bowen of the Daily News confirmed that the longest-tenured Eagle has agreed to a deal with the Broncos.

According to Adam Schefter of NFL Network, it's a five-year, $17 million deal that includes $7.2 million guaranteed. Escalators could boost the deal to $27 million, but the deal could also be voided to two years, $9 million.

The numbers probably don't mean much to you right now. What does matter is that the franchise lost its most universally-liked player in over a decade.

The exact date is unknown, but Dawkins will play in Philadelphia next season. The Broncos have a date with the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in 2009. That will be quite a day. I imagine many will dust off the No. 20 jerseys one more time.

I'll offer more of my take throughout the weekend, but for now, here's a Dawkins highlight video I found on YouTube from NFL Network.

At one point, the highlights go to Dawkins' interview with Terry Bradshaw after the Eagles earned a Super Bowl berth. At about the 2:30 mark, Dawkins says "Gimme some respect right now!" Seems kind of fitting, doesn't it?

And if you don't get chills at about the 2:45 mark, well, this whole Eagles Fan thing might not be for you.

Enjoy, and feel free to chime in with your thoughts on Dawkins' departure.

UPDATE: Les Bowen confirms on Eagletarian that the deal is done. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed when they heard it. Much more to come soon.

From earlier:

There continue to be conflicting reports this morning as to whether Brian Dawkins is officially a member of the Denver Broncos.

Has he signed? Has he agreed to terms? Do the Eagles still have a chance? Why did they allow him to leave town in the first place?

These are the questions going through the minds of Eagles fans everywhere.

I wish I had something conclusive to tell you, but I do not. So all I can do this morning is round up the various reports. A friend e-mailed me about an hour ago and said he won't believe it until Dawkins is standing up in front of the Denver media with a Broncos jersey. That might be the right way to look at this thing

I'll be monitoring the situation all day, as will reporters from The Inquirer and Daily News so continue to check back on philly.com throughout your weekend. And if you see a report or link that would be of interest to the group, don't hesitate to e-mail me.

Here's a roundup of what we have as of 9:45 a.m.:

** Les Bowen of the Daily News received a text from Dawkins' agent yesterday after the initial San Francisco Chronicle report, saying "in negotiations." As Bowen points out though, Mike Florio of profootballtalk.com later reported (at 9:29 p.m. Friday night) that Dawkins had officially signed a contract.

** A source tells Ray Parillo of The Inquirer: "It is not done." According to Parillo, that quote from an NFL source familiar with the negotiations came "early today." Parillo adds that the Broncos do not have an announcement scheduled, and that a report out of Denver says Dawkins could resume negotiations with the Eagles.

** UPDATE (12:05 p.m.): ESPN's John Clayton says the deal is "still up in the air" and "not done yet." Per Clayton, the Broncos are offering more money and more years than the Eagles. "If the money's better and the situation's better in Denver, he's going to leave," Clayton said on SportsCenter.

** UPDATE (12:07 p.m.): ProFootballTalk.com's Mike Florio reported at 10:30 a.m. that he has heard from someone who has seen the contract, and it is signed.

** Donovan McNabb told John Smallwood of the Daily News, "I hope that the story is wrong. I would be upset just like everybody else.

"It would definitely be different to walk into that locker room and not see No. 20. We set a goal to achieve something together [win a Super Bowl], and I hope we can still accomplish that."

** At some point after the initial San Francisco Chronicle report, NFL Network's Adam Schefter said the deal was not done. However, because NFL.com blogs don't have time-stamps, I'm not sure exactly when Schefter's post went up.

** The Denver Post does not confirm that Dawkins is a done deal. "The Broncos can drop a cannonball that would shake the league from here to the Liberty Bell if they can finish off a deal for Brian Dawkins," writes Mike Klis.

** As of last night, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com said a two-year deal was nearing completion, but he did not discount the idea of Dawkins returning to the Eagles.

** At 6:48 a.m. today, Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com reported that a source told him the Broncos had reached a deal with defensive tackle Darrell Reid. Marvez says Dawkins could be next, but he did not confirm that a deal was done.

** Clark Judge of CBSSports.com reported last night that there was no deal in place. Per Judge, Dawkins is expected to stay in Denver through Saturday while negotiations take place.

So there you have it. That is where we stand as of Saturday morning. Again, keep checking back on philly.com for updates throughout the day.

Here's the latest on what has been an unbelievably hectic day of Eagles offseason news.

Let's start with Brian Dawkins. We played it safe here at MTC, waiting to hear confirmation on the deal in Denver before going ballistic. And that has not happened yet. David White of the San Francisco Chronicle, who first reported that Dawkins and the Broncos had agreed to a deal, just e-mailed me. He has recently heard from Dawkins' agent, and the two sides are still in negotiations. In other words, Dawkins has not yet signed. It's not a done deal. I don't know if that's good news for Eagles fans or if everyone is bummed that it has even gotten this far. Maybe someone can direct Dawkins to the comments on today's blog posts, where we've seen nothing but an outpouring of support for him.

Just a few minutes ago, an e-mail from reader Jake:

Is our beloved Dawk gone yet?  It is pretty much inevitable?  It seems as though we're all living in one big nightmare today...

Many of you have expressed similar sentiments. We could have updates on this later tonight or tomorrow.

We'll just have to wait and see how it plays out. The backlash from the fan base if Dawkins lands in Denver will be like nothing we've seen during this current era of Eagles football.

The Lito rumors

League sources tell Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News that the Jets are closing in on a trade for cornerback Lito Sheppard. According to Cimini, the sides are close enough that Sheppard will visit with the Jets Saturday. NFL Network's Adam Schefter reports that the Eagles will get a fifth-round pick this year, and a conditional pick in 2010, which could be as high as a second-rounder or as low as a fourth-rounder.

Thanks for reading

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who joined us today. It was a record-setting day in terms of readership at MTC. Other than my girlfriend, who is in town visiting, threatening to throw my laptop out the window a few minutes ago, I'd say things went pretty smoothly.

Should news break in the next couple hours, I'll be back. If not, check us out Saturday for the latest

I just got off the phone with David White, the San Francisco Chronicle reporter who posted a couple hours ago, saying Brian Dawkins had agreed to terms with the Denver Broncos.

Here's the deal: White is not reporting that Dawkins has signed a contract with the Broncos. He actually never reported that. White is told by a source that Dawkins has "agreed to terms" on a deal. Many of us took this to mean a deal had been finalized, but there is obviously a major difference if you look at the wording closely.

As of right now, no one (that I've found) has reported that Dawkins has signed a deal. And White is still the only reporter I've found that says Dawkins has agreed to terms. The bottom line is that it appears nothing has been finalized, although White sticks by his source that a deal is in place.

White said I'm the only person from Philadelphia who hasn't cursed at him today, and I appreciate him taking the time to get in touch with me after I sent him an initial e-mail.

He ends his most recent blog post with:

And please, Brian Dawkins, sign the deal with the Broncos and don't go Bart Scott on me.

So, to clarify White's report one last time: Dawkins has agreed to terms, but he still has the option to change his mind.

Keep it locked on philly.com for the latest on this story from The Inquirer and Daily News.

Brian Dawkins has signed with the Denver Broncos, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Our people are working to confirm this report. We want to make clear that the San Francisco Chronicle is the only place we've seen this report.

NFL.com is reporting that the Broncos signed safety Renaldo Hill.

As soon as we get word from The Inquirer or Daily News, you will know.

If it is true, it's safe to say Eagles fans everywhere will be devastated that one of the most beloved players in franchise history will be playing elsewhere in 2009.

It had been expected that the Eagles would re-sign Dawkins before the start of free agency, but it never happened. Today he visited Denver, and the Broncos reportedly never let him leave town.

According to the report, a press conference is scheduled for Saturday to introduce Dawkins.

Stay tuned to philly.com for updates on this breaking story.

Last night, I pointed out that NFL Network's Steve Wyche was reporting that the Falcons would make a push for tight end L.J. Smith.

Today, Joe Fortenbaugh of the National Football Post says he's hearing a deal could be coming in hours.

It had been assumed that Smith wouldn't be back with the Birds after they slapped him with the franchise tag last year and he underperformed (37 catches, 298 yards, three touchdowns).

The Eagles drafted Smith in the second round of the 2003 draft.

Some other free-agent news that has caught my eye:

** The Redskins made the day's biggest splash with a $100M deal to Albert Haynesworth, but it sounds like not much more is coming. 'Skins VP of football operations Vinny Cerrato told ESPN the team is running out of money and has to be selective with what it does from here on out. The team will release cornerback Shawn Springs, according to washingtonpost.com.

** The Giants have been fairly quiet. They are hosting defensive tackle Rocky Bernard and linebacker Michael Boley, according to The Newark Star-Ledger.

** The Cowboys have been pretty quiet also, although Ray Lewis hasn't landed anywhere yet. A league source told ESPN.com's Matt Mosley yesterday that the Cowboys did not appear to be seriously considering Lewis. NFL Network's Adam Schefter reports that sources close to Lewis say he will not return to Baltimore. Schefter also reports that the Jets are expected to sign Lewis' teammate, linebacker Bart Scott, to a $40M deal.

** We are moving at a frantic pace here at MTC, but hoping to keep it up. Keep checking back.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh has a visit planned with the Seattle Seahawks, according to Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com.

That's the only team reportedly bringing him in so far, as of 10:50 a.m. It was thought that Houshmandzadeh, the consensus top free agent receiver, would draw interest from several teams, but it hasn't happened yet. Or at least it hasn't been reported.

In my earlier post, I wrote about Houshmandzadeh appearing on ESPN late last night and mentioning the Eagles as one of the four teams he'd be interested in playing for. He also reportedly sent ESPN 950 a text message, saying: "I don't know what's gonna happen, if they want me I will be an Eagle tomorrow."

Meanwhile, a source tells Tom Kowalski of MLive.com that the Lions could be a potential suitor for Houshmandzadeh's services. According to the source, Houshmandzadeh was at the top of Detroit's wish list, but the Lions thought he'd be too expensive.

More updates to come throughout the day so keep checking back.

Eagles free-agent running back Correll Buckhalter is drawing interest from the Denver Broncos, according to multiple reports.

Per the Denver Post, Buckhalter will visit Denver today. The Broncos are also expected to bring in Cardinals running back J.J. Arrington.

FoxSports.com's Alex Marvez reports that the Broncos are expected to sign both players if they pass physicals. According to Marvez's report, Buckhalter would be the frontrunner to start for Denver.

Meanwhile, last night I wrote about T.J. Houshmandzadeh possibly returning to the Bengals, per a National Football Post report. However, the Bengals receiver told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he hadn't spoken with his agent yesterday.

Apparently he was fibbing just a little (tends to happen this time of year). Today, The Enquirer says Houshmandzadeh later acknowledged that the Bengals and his agent were still talking. There have been no reports as of this writing that a deal is in place.

According to the article, the Giants, Eagles, Bears and Bucs are the favorites to land Houshmandzadeh.

The receiver appeared on ESPN early this morning, listing the Eagles, Giants, Seahawks and Vikings as teams he'd like to play for.

And finally, the Redskins have reportedly sealed the deal with defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. According to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean, Haynesworth will get a seven-year, $100 million deal from Washington, with $41 million guaranteed.

By my count, props for breaking the story initially go to Lance Zierlein of the Houston Chronicle who reported it earlier this week.

Stay tuned to philly.com for updates from The Inquirer and Daily News (and me) later today and throughout the weekend.

UPDATE: Just came across this nugget. Apparently Houshmandzadeh texted someone over at ESPN 950 yesterday, saying "I don't know what's gonna happen, if they want me I will be an Eagle tomorrow."

We are less than two hours away from the start of free agency, and the T.J. Houshmandzadeh rumors are swirling.

The National Football Post reports that the Bengals and Houshmandzadeh are close to reaching a new contract agreement. NFP said there is a 70 percent chance a deal will get done.

However, Joe Reedy of The Cincinnati Enquirer caught up with Houshmandzadeh, and the Bengals receiver sounded like nothing was brewing, saying he had not even talked to his agent today.

“The only person from the Bengals who I’ve talked to today is Carson [Palmer] and he said ‘Don’t forget about us,’ ” Houshmandzadeh said, according to the article.

Meanwhile, Reedy lists the Eagles as one of three favorites, along with the Giants and the Bears, for Houshmandzadeh. The wide receiver is looking for a deal upwards of $10 million per season, according to Reedy.

Some other nuggets I picked up while watching NFL Network and blogging on profootballtalk.com the last two hours:

** Steve Wyche of the NFL Network mentioned the Atlanta Falcons as a possible destination for L.J. Smith.

** The Detroit Lions tried to trade for Panthers cornerback Ken Lucas today, but Lucas vetoed the deal, according to NFL Network's Adam Schefter.

However, the Lions are still looking for secondary help, according to Tom Kowalski of MLive.com.

"They're trying to trade for any and every cornerback,'' a league source told Kowalski.

Does Lito Sheppard fit the category of "any and every cornerback"? Just asking.