INDIANAPOLIS -- It might have been the wee hours of the morning when the deal was struck, but San Francisco 49ers officials addressed a big priority early Saturday, reaching agreement with standout center Jeremy Newberry on a new contract that takes him out of free agency.

ESPN.com has learned that Newberry will sign a six-year contract worth slightly more than $20 million, and the deal includes a signing bonus of $5 million.

"I'm excited that they feel like getting this deal done right away," Newberry told The Associated Press in a phone interview from his cabin on the south shore of Lake Tahoe. "I'm happy here, my family's here, and I'm glad they thought enough of me to get this deal done."

Newberry, 25, was among the premier players at any position in the unrestricted free agent pool, and most observers rated him among the top 10. The versatile snapper has demonstrated in the past he can line up at any offensive line position, even tackle, and perform well. Certainly his performance in the middle of the San Francisco blocking unit has helped galvanize the 49ers line over the past three seasons.

The team's second-round choice in the 1998 draft, Newberry missed his entire rookie campaign after suffering a knee injury, but earned a starting job the following year. He has been a fixture in the lineup ever since.

The former University of California standout has started 47 games since the beginning of the '99 season, and missed just one contest.

San Francisco officials have said they hope to be able to retain at least three of the franchise's four unrestricted free agents -- safety Lance Schulters, tailback Garrison Hearst and fullback Fred Beasley are the others -- and the re-signing of Newberry marks a significant step toward the goal.

"Those are all good friends of mine, and the more people we can get to come back, the better we'll be," Newberry said. "Hopefully, everybody will be back. If they're not, we'll get it done. We'll be all right either way."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.