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Edit to add link-http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/14146979.htmFree agent Runyan to visit Jets todayThe right tackle is also talking to the Birds. His goal is to stay near home and also get a good deal.By Bob BrookoverInquirer Staff WriterThe Eagles have spoken to Jon Runyan, but it's the New York Jets who will get a Long Island visit from the imposing right tackle today.
Runyan, an unrestricted free agent, seemed only mildly encouraged about his conversations with the Eagles.
"We're talking a little bit," he said yesterday after returning from a vacation in the Cayman Islands. "We just started the process."
What exactly does that mean?
"They returned my phone call," said Runyan, who is represented by agent Ben Dogra. "I guess something is better than nothing."
Runyan, 32, said this is likely to be his last NFL contract, and it is clear that he would like to remain with the Eagles if the price is right. Barring that, he wants to remain as close to his Mount Laurel home as possible.
"I think that's one of the biggest reasons we're starting up there" at the Jets' headquarters in Hempstead, N.Y., Runyan said. "We're trying to stay around here, but there are only so many teams around here."
The Jets happen to be one of the teams in the market for a right tackle, after releasing Jason Fabini last month. The Dallas Cowboys signed Fabini on Saturday.
Baltimore is another possible destination for Runyan if the 6-foot-7, 330-pound tackle wants to stay close to home. The Ravens released Orlando Brown last week. Tony Pashos replaced Brown in the middle of last season, so the Ravens may not be looking for a right tackle.
It is not known what kind of deal it will take to sign Runyan. The free-agent market for right tackles has not been that active. Fabini, in fact, has probably been the most notable right tackle to sign with another team, and he received a modest three-year deal that guarantees only $4.5 million.
Runyan, who signed a six-year, $30.5 million deal with the Eagles in 2000, made $4.9 million last season even after taking a pay cut. The Eagles paid Runyan $9.5 million in signing and roster bonuses on his last contract, and he rewarded them by playing 96 straight regular-season games and 12 postseason games.
Though Runyan isn't going to get a deal as lucrative as his last one, he is still hoping to get a decent contract.
"I'm open to anything - two, three or four years - as long as the money is right," he said.
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