Drew Brees got the contract he was looking for in New Orleans. Terrell Owens will now begin his search for a new team.

Brees, who had been considering Miami and New Orleans, agreed to a six-year deal with the Saints shortly after the Vikings traded Daunte Culpepper to the Dolphins for a second-round pick Tuesday. The former starter in San Diego received a six-year, $60 million deal with $10 million guaranteed.

"From the very beginning, there was a genuine feeling that they wanted me there. They believe I can come back from this shoulder injury and lead them to a championship," Brees said. "They were as confident as I am, and that meant a lot."

Brees, who turned 27 in January, injured his throwing shoulder in the final game of the 2005 season. He underwent surgery and said last weekend he will take four or five months to be ready.

Brees threw for more than 3,000 yards in three of the past four seasons. He led the Chargers to a playoff appearance in 2004.

The 32nd overall pick in the 2001 draft, Brees struggled in his first few seasons, leading the Chargers to trade Eli Manning to the New York Giants for quarterback Philip Rivers on the day of the 2004 draft.

But Rivers spent the past two seasons on the bench as Brees flourished, winning 20 games with the Chargers.

Now, Rivers gets the starting spot in San Diego and Brees is No. 1 in the Big Easy — provided his shoulder heals.

"I'm going to be rocking and rolling soon," he said.

Will Owens be doing the same? Probably, although the disruptive wide receiver might find his choices somewhat limited after his burnout in Philadelphia, which released him Tuesday.

One possible destination for Owens is Dallas, which cut Keyshawn Johnson.

Owens was due a $5 million roster bonus on Wednesday, so the Eagles had to cut him or trade him before then to avoid paying him the money. It was an easy choice after Owens helped ruin Philadelphia's season when he criticized management, feuded with quarterback Donovan McNabb, violated team policies and eventually was banished seven games into the schedule. An arbitrator upheld the Eagles' decision to suspend Owens without pay for four games and deactivate him the final five games.

Culpepper threw just six touchdowns and had 12 interceptions last season, playing just seven games before he tore three ligaments in his knee. The Dolphins declined to confirm the deal, although the Vikings announced it.

"Anything we do is contingent on a player passing a medical exam," Miami spokesman Harvey Greene said.

Miami released last year's starter, Gus Frerotte, who would have cost the team $4.38 million against the salary cap.

Another veteran quarterback, Jon Kitna, is going to Detroit, according to his agent, Michael Moye. Kitna backed up Carson Palmer in Cincinnati for two years after being voted the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in 2003, his first season with the Bengals and his only one as a starter with them.

Detroit also re-signed defensive end Kalimba Edwards and kick returner Eddie Drummond to five-year deals. Tight end Dan Campbell signed a five-year deal after spending the last three seasons with Dallas.

In other moves Wednesday:

• Former New England wide receiver David Givens signed with Tennessee. Givens, who had a career-high 59 catches last season, has seven touchdowns in the postseason, a high for New England. The Titans also signed 35-year-old Kevin Mawae, the six-time Pro Bowl center who was cut by the New York Jets last month.

• Mike Williams, the fourth overall pick in the 2002 draft, was signed by Jacksonville. The 360-pound offensive lineman was cut by Buffalo after being a major disappointment.

The Bills re-signed long-snapper Mike Schneck.

• Philadelphia signed former Bengal Matt Schobel to back up L.J. Smith at tight end. Schobel caught 90 passes for 938 yards and nine touchdowns in four seasons with the Bengals.

• Pro Bowl guard Will Shields restructured his contract with Kansas City, guaranteeing he will finish his career with the Chiefs. But the Chiefs lost backup quarterback Todd Collins, who went to the Redskins for a two-year, $2.5 million deal including a $450,000 signing bonus.

• St. Louis signed cornerback Fakhir Brown from New Orleans. He was primarily a nickel back and special teams player for the Saints last season.

• The New York Giants attempted to firm up a weak secondary by signing a raft of defensive backs. They confirmed last week's signing of former Dolphins cornerback Sam Madison and Monday's deal with R.W. McQuarters, and signed Jason Bell and Quentin Harris.

• Safety Ryan Clark signed a four-year contract with the Steelers, giving the team a replacement for free agent Chris Hope. Clark has started 27 games over four years with the New York Giants and Washington Redskins.

• Indianapolis paid a $1.45 million bonus to keep Dominic Rhodes, his agent, Mike McCartney, said. The move, combined with the loss of free agent Edgerrin James to Arizona over the weekend, means Rhodes could be the Colts' starting tailback next season.

• Kimo von Oelhoffen left the Super Bowl champion Steelers for the Jets, getting a three-year, $9.2 million deal. The 12-year veteran spent the last six seasons with Pittsburgh and started every game but one during his career there.

• The Browns released nose tackle Jason Fisk, an 11-year veteran who signed a three-year deal with the team last year. He was expendable after Cleveland signed Ted Washington.