The Philadelphia Eagles dramatically strengthened their young wide receiver corps on Saturday evening, with ESPN.com learning that the club reached a contract agreement with free agent Antonio Freeman, a seven-year veteran.

Freeman was released earlier this spring by the Green Bay Packers for salary cap reasons, after he played two years of a landmark contract that averaged $6 million annually and included a $10 million signing bonus. He will sign a one-year deal with the Eagles that could be worth as much as $1.7 million.

After carefully considering his options most of the summer, Freeman opted for the Eagles over the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers. Although all three teams offered the same basic contract, believed to be at about the league minimum, Philadelphia included a lucrative incentive package.

The Eagles' starting wide receivers are James Thrash and Todd Pinkston, and 2001 first-round pick Freddie Mitchell has been working as the No. 3 wideout. But neither of the starters has a resume that can match Freeman's accomplishments and Mitchell has struggled in training camp and preseason.

ESPN.com reported Friday, in a "Tip Sheet" item that Freeman probably would sign with the Eagles next week. Freeman and Eagles coach Andy Reid are familiar with each other from their time together in Green Bay.

Freeman, 30, had been particularly choosey about where he resumed his career, with his primary criteria a chance to play and to join a franchise with legitimate Super Bowl potential.

The former Virginia Tech star has played in 101 games and started 90, and has 417 catches for 6,510 yards and 57 touchdowns. He has four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, 1997-2000, and has been over 800 receiving yards every season except his 1995 rookie campaign.

He started all 16 games in 2001 and had 52 catches for 818 yards and six touchdowns. His career average of 15.6 yards per catch is impressive, as is the fact he has averaged a touchdown every 7.4 catches. Even over the last two seasons, when some NFL observers felt he had declined, Freeman still averaged a touchdown every 7.5 receptions.

Although he may have lost a step, Freeman still has good quickness out of his cuts and retains playmaker skills. That will be a boon to a Philadelphia offense that often struggles to score and isn't always as efficient as it needs to be in the "red zone."

To create a roster spot for Freeman, the Eagles released fourth-year wide receiver Na Brown. In three seasons with Philadelphia, he appeared in 42 games and had 34 catches for 363 yards and two touchdowns.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer at ESPN.com.