Samari Rolle got his career rolling last year when he made his first trip to the Pro Bowl. Now, he's rolling in dough.

	Rolle

On Thursday, Rolle agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $36 million with the Tennessee Titans, which makes him the league's highest-paid cornerback based on new money added to the deal. Included in the contract is a two-tiered signing bonus of a combined $11.5 million.

The Titans view the deal as a six-year, $37.488 million contract that includes the $1.488 million tender that Rolle signed as a restricted free agent.

Rolle's deal tops the seven-year, $46 million contract given to Ty Law by the Patriots and the eight year, $42.6 million deal given to Sam Madison and five-year, $27.7 million deal given to Patrick Surtain by the Dolphins. The market had been set by those contracts and those of Jason Sehorn of the Giants, which are in the $6 million-a-year range.

Rolle's new extension takes that number for cornerbacks to close to $7.2 million a year.

The beauty of the deal for the Titans is that they locked up one of their best young players. Since the year began, the Titans locked up quarterback Steve McNair, left tackle Brad Hopkins, wide receiver Derrick Mason, guard Benji Olson and Rolle along with acquiring kicker Joe Nedney and defensive end Kevin Carter.

Those contracts have totaled around $186 million.

Also included in Rolle's deal are more than $500,000 in escalators based on performance. The contract ends in 2006 when Rolle will be only 30 years old. At 30, figuring he still will be in his prime, Rolle will have a chance to land another lucrative deal.

Rolle, 24, was a second-round choice in 1998 from Florida State. He has started 31 games and had 11 interceptions.

Last week, Rolle missed three days of practice and was fined $15,000 while he traveled to meet with his agent, Lamont Smith, in Denver. Because Rolle wanted to have his contract extension resolved before the start of the regular season, he felt as though his mind would not have been into playing the final exhibition. He wasn't focused, so he worried that playing could have caused him to be injured.

"I think in my head I believed it would get done because they told me in the offseason it would get done," Rolle said after Thursday's practice, when the deal was announced. "My biggest concern was about the insurance thing and just the possibility of having to play the season out.

"Now it's just about playing."

The Titans tendered him as a restricted free agent worth $1.448 million on a one-year offer. Had he not agreed to a contract before Sunday night's opener against the Miami Dolphins, Rolle could have played out this season and possibly become a free agent next March.

Neither side wanted that, and that is why completing a deal by mid-week was the best solution.