It didn't take long for Earl Holmes to find a new team.

	Holmes

Less than two hours after Holmes was jilted Friday afternoon in his attempt to sign a new deal to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the unrestricted free agent reached an agreement with the Cleveland Browns.

The six-year veteran will sign a five-year contract that is worth $17.5 million. The deal is at least two years longer, and for substantially more money, than the Steelers proposed to Holmes.

Earlier on Friday, the Steelers reached an agreement with former New York Jets starter James Farrior to replace Holmes, on a three-year contract.

The agreement with Holmes ends the Browns' lengthy quest for a veteran middle linebacker to line up between Jamir Miller and Dwayne Rudd. The team has been seeking to replace incumbent Wali Rainer and considers Holmes an upgrade. Some Cleveland staffers feel that Holmes, despite 118 tackles in 2001, is coming off a subpar season. But the Browns feel he will be able to bounce back and were impressed with Holmes during a visit last month.

Holmes, 28, becomes the third prominent defender added by the Browns in free agency. Last month the team signed end Kenard Lang and strong safety Robert Griffith.

"It's still a young and developing team and I'm excited about the future (in Cleveland)," Holmes said. "Everyone knows how I felt about the Steelers, but it wasn't meant to be, and that's the way it goes. We're in the same division so I'll get to see those guys twice a year. This is just the way the business is nowdays, that's all."

Sources close to Holmes said he was disappointed by the offer the Steelers presented him. He is the lone member of the league's top-rated defense from 2001 to depart the team.

Holmes traveled to Pittsburgh on Thursday to have Steelers orthopedic specialists check out his knees, claimed he passed the examination, and suggested that head coach Bill Cowher told him he would be re-signed. Certainly there was some disagreement among Steelers officials over retaining Holmes, who averaged over 100 tackles since becoming a starter in 1997.

He suffered two knee injuries in 2001, including a strained posterior cruciate ligament that sidelined him for the AFC title game, but neither was considered serious and he was given a clean bill by noted orthopedist James Andrews of Birmingham, Ala., this spring.

Holmes was considered all but gone by the Steelers at the outset of the free agent period. But as the sluggish market dropped on Holmes in recent weeks, it appeared that he would re-up with the Steelers, and he phoned Cowher two weeks ago to initiate discussions aimed at returning to the team. Those talks led to negotiations but, for whatever reason, not to a deal.

Cleveland officials sprung into action once Holmes was ostensibly replaced in Pittsburgh by Farrior on Friday afternoon.

Holmes was a fourth-round selection in the 1996 draft and the former Florida A&M star became a starter in his second year. He has played in 81 games and started 79 contests. He has 547 tackles, 9 ½ sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception and 22 passes defensed.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.