KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Pro Bowl cornerback Ty Law passed his physical
and officially signed a five-year, $30 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, adding an established star to a defense that could
be on the rise.
"We are very pleased to have Ty with us," Chiefs president and
general manager Carl Peterson told The Associated Press. "I just
talked with our doctors. He's fine. He came in at 208 pounds. He's
been working out and it shows. He's ready to go."
Law will rejoin Herman Edwards, who coached him with the New York Jets last year, when the veteran came back from a severe foot
injury and led the NFL with 10 interceptions. Chiefs spokesman Bob
Moore said Law will take his physical Monday.
Edwards, who replaced Dick Vermeil as head coach of the Chiefs,
is a former Pro Bowl cornerback and has vowed to revamp a Kansas
City defense that the past five years has been near the bottom of
the league.
The 32-year-old Law, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, will pair
with Patrick Surtain in what could be the Chiefs' strongest
secondary since James Hasty and Dale Carter anchored the
backfield in the mid-1990s.
Also bolstering the defense will be end Tamba Hali, the team's
first-round pick out of Penn State who is thought to be close to
signing a contract that would get him in uniform for the start of
training camp in River Falls, Wis., on Friday.
Since 2001, a woeful defense has hurt the Chiefs' offense, which
racked up yards and points behind running backs Priest Holmes and
Larry Johnson, tight end Tony Gonzalez, and Pro Bowl linemen Brian
Waters, Will Shields and Willie Roaf.
But the defense last year showed signs of coming around, with
the signing of Surtain and the emergence of second-year defensive
end Jared Allen, who led the team with 11 sacks.
Law cost the Jets around $6 million last year. Terms of his deal
with Kansas City were not immediately available.
"It got to a number where we were comfortable and they were comfortable," Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson told the Kansas City Star. "Hopefully, he will be well worth the effort."
His presence is certain to excite both fans and teammates, as it
did Allen, who was driving to Kansas City on Sunday when told of
the news.
"That is awesome," he shouted. When he turned to teammate and
linebacker Boomer Grigsby and told him, Grigsby let out a whoop,
too.
"That's going to be a huge help to us," Allen said. "Our
defense is going to be awesome. The guy's a great athlete, a great
player. He's been to the Super Bowl."
The Chiefs talked with Law last year before he signed with the
Jets. They were one of several teams interested in picking him up
this season.
"I didn't think it would happen," Allen said. "Rumors were
always floating around. But I'm really glad we got him."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.