League sources (whatever that means these days – could be a well respected NFL front office figure or could be Roger Goodell’s janitor) have told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that wide receiver Torry Holt has asked the Rams to release him.

The Rams have been trying to trade Holt for the past couple weeks but so far they haven’t found any takers. As the Post-Dispatch notes, Holt is due a $1.25 million roster bonus on March 17 and therefore it’s unlikely that he’ll be a Ram past that point.

If he remains patient for the next week and a half, Holt is likely to get his wish. But I don’t blame him for wanting to end the charade and have the team just release now so both parties can move on. It’s clear that Rams are moving in another direction at receiver and I think the team owes Holt a debt of gratitude for all he’s done over the years. If they’re going to wind up releasing him anyway (and they will – no team is going to trade for him knowing that he’ll be cut if they wait long enough), they should do him a favor and cut him now.

The Ravens made two significant moves on Wednesday, agreeing to a deal with linebacker Ray Lewis and signing free agent center Matt Birk.

“We have agreed in principle on a multi-year contract that will allow Ray to finish his career as a Baltimore Raven,� general manager/executive vice president Ozzie Newsome announced.

(Note: Lewis’ contract will not be official until he signs, which will take place sometime in the next two weeks. At that time, the Ravens will hold a press conference with Lewis. Please understand that travel schedules for owner Steve Bisciotti, Newsome, head coach John Harbaugh and Lewis are causing this delay.)

Also agreeing to a contract this afternoon is six-time Pro Bowl C Matt Birk. Birk, who has played all 11 of his NFL seasons with Minnesota, will meet with the media Thursday morning (3/5) at the Ravens’ Owings Mills training facility at 11 a.m.

Re-signing Lewis was pivotal after the Ravens lost Bart Scott to free agency. Lewis wore down towards the end of last season but proved he can still play at a high level. Now Baltimore can turn its attention to addressing the hole left by Scott.

After losing T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the Seahawks on Monday, the Bengals addressed their need at wide receiver with the signing free agent Laveranues Coles to a four-year, $28 million contract.

Considering Housh got $8 mil per year over the next five years, it would appear that the Bengals overpaid for Coles. But keep in mind that once Houshmandzadeh was signed, Coles became the best wideout on the market and therefore was able to cash in.

At 31, Coles is no spring chicken but he can still play. He’s a solid overall athlete, an excellent route runner and he isn’t afraid to block. Despite missing six games last year due to injury, Coles is strong and durable. He doesn’t have elite speed and he won’t run away from defenders in the open field, but that doesn’t mean he can’t create separation.

Despite paying what I estimate to be about a mil more per year than he is worth, this was a nice signing by the Bengals. The addition of Coles will allow Cincy to concentrate on their other needs in the draft and now they won’t be tempted to select a wideout early when those picks could better be used to address the offensive line and defense.

After losing T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the Seahawks on Monday, the Bengals have emerged as a possible candidate for free agent Laveranues Coles, who was released by the Jets last week.

Cincinnati has bigger needs than wide receiver, including finding a new center, adding a quality pass-rusher and finding overall depth at running back and along the offensive line. But with plenty of cap space available (the Bungles started with $26 million at the start of free agency), Coles could be a solid addition to a team that lost a lot of production at receiver when Housh signed with Seattle.

Of course, the Bengals could wait until draft day to address the wide receiver position; in fact, now that the Seahawks signed Housh there’s little chance they would draft Texas Tech wideout Michael Crabtree in April. That means Crabtree could fall to No. 6 and if Cincy pulls the trigger, they could get significantly younger at the receiver position while also filling the hole vacated by Houshmandzadeh.

There are obvious risks involved with waiting until the draft to address the receiver position. One, Crabtree might not fall to No. 6 and two, he is scheduled to have foot surgery soon and might miss some time this summer recovering. There’s obviously no guarantee that he’ll develop into a productive pro, either.

The Bengals could probably afford to offer Coles a four-year deal in the $6 mil per year range. If they do, they know they would be signing a consummate pro that has produced throughout his entire career. Therefore, signing him (if he’s even interested) seems like a better choice and then Cincy could look to addressing one of their other needs ni the first round.

According to the National Football Post, free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Seahawks. The deal also includes $15 million in guarantees.

Barring any last-second problems, free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh will sign a multi-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks, according to sources close to the situation.

According to the source, the Seahawks have offered close to $2 million more than the closest competitor in the race for Houshmandzadeh’s services.

An eight-year veteran out of Oregon State, Houshmandzadeh caught 92 passes for 904 yards and 4 touchdowns in 15 starts for the Bengals last season.

In addition to the Seahawks, the Vikings and Bengals were pursing Houshmandzadeh.

Well…slap…me…hard. I thought Housh would wind up in Minnesota after the Vikes made a decent push this weekend and if not there, surely back in Cincinnati where the Bengals seemed to be offering the most money. Out of the top three choices, I would have ranked Seattle third as Housh’s likely destination. Yikes.

Perhaps the biggest name still left on the free agent market is wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who appears poised to sign with the Vikings if you read between the lines.

When the free agency period began last Friday, Housh set up a visit with the Seahawks. He left Seattle without signing a contract, however, and despite rumors that the Lions, Bengals and Bears were interested, Housh headed to Minnesota for a visit with the Vikings on Saturday.

He hasn’t left Minnesota since.

According to FOXSports.com, free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh will make a visit to Seattle on Friday.

Houshmandzadeh has averaged 89 catches for 1,012 yards and seven touchdowns in five seasons as a Bengals starter. But he also will be 32 in September, which may scare some teams from offering the lucrative long-term contract Houshmandzadeh is seeking.

The Seahawks failed to have a wide receiver crack the 500-yard mark in 2008 — the first time that had happened in a non-strike season since the franchise’s inception in 1976.

Two of Seattle’s top four receivers — Bobby Engram and Koren Robinson — are now free agents.

Hopefully Housh enjoys blocking because if he signs with Seattle, he’ll be doing a lot of it in Greg Knapp’s West Coast Offense. Not that he wouldn’t be a fit for the Seahawks because they do need dependable wide receivers (some mock drafts have the Hawks taking Texas Tech wideout Michael Crabtree in the first round), but Knapp has been known to frustrate receivers before (Terrell Owens and Peerless Price are just two examples) and Housh isn’t the type to bite his tongue if he’s unhappy about his role.

Housh also told ESPN 950 that if the Eagles want him that he’d, “be an Eagle tomorrow.� But does Philly want him?

- According to NFL.com, Kurt Warner and the Cardinals remain far apart on a new contract, which means the quarterback will hit the open market at 12:01 a.m. Friday morning. Warner is still likely to re-sign with Arizona, but the Cards can’t feel entirely comfortable that he’ll be allowed to test the market.

- Despite saying he would like to play for the Steelers, Jeff Saturday re-signed with the Colts for three more years. Saturday was apparently willing to play guard if he went to Pittsburgh, but he’s a fan favorite in Indianapolis and apparently well liked by new head coach Jim Caldwell.

- Free agent quarterback Rex Grossman (Bears) says he would be interested in playing for the Lions next season. He must think he can beat out the other 95 quarterbacks that Detroit has on its roster.

- The National Football Post is reporting that there’s a 70% chance that T.J. Houshmandzadeh stays a Bengal. Not that the report is inaccurate by any means, but I highly doubt Housh stays in Cincy if a contender comes along and outbids the Bengals. Still, this is positive news for Cincy fans.

- In a series of moves, the Dolphins signed free agent free safety Gibril Wilson, who was cut by the Raiders earlier this week, and re-signed strong safety Yeremiah Bell to a new four-year, $20 million contract.

- According to FOXSports.com, the Cowboys are reportedly shopping strong safety Roy Williams. So if any team is in need of an extra linebacker that they can line up at safety, Williams might be their guy.

With free agency ready to kickoff this Friday, February 27, hope once again springs eternal for fans across the NFL.

But it seems like more than any other year, the free agent market this offseason has been picked bone dry before teams have even had the chance to grab their shopping carts.

Nnamdi Asomugha?

Sorry, off the market after re-signing with the Raiders.

Julius Peppers?

Franchised, but teams can probably have him for two first round picks, a gazillion dollars and a six yachts.

Terrell Suggs?

Likely staying put in Baltimore after being franchised.

Karlos Dansby? Brandon Jacobs? Matt Cassel? O.J. Atogwe? Darren Sproles? Antonio Bryant? Dunta Robinson?

All franchised.

Are there any players left on the market to get excited about? Absolutely, there are plenty of quality free agents available and bargains to be had. But as in previous years, there are a ton of risks, as well.

Below are five free agents that might command a decent amount of money this offseason, but will also be worth the heavy price tag in the end. I’ve also complied a group of five free agents that could turn out to be thieves this offseason by commanding big bucks, yet those investments may not pay off once teams start strapping on helmets and shoulder pads again.

Notable Free Agents: T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR; Stacy Andrews, OT; Shayne Graham, K (franchised); Eric Ghiaciuc, C; Cedric Benson, RB; Brandon Johnson, LB; Chris Crocker, FS.

Projected 2009 Cap Space: $22,000,000

Draft Order: 6

Top Needs: Depending on what players the Bengals choose to re-sign, the team needs to make major additions to the offensive line and could use a boost at defensive end. Running back and wide receiver will be two positions owner/GM Mike Brown looks at, as well.

Offseason Outlook: Cap-wise, the Bungles aren’t in bad shape but they’ve got major question marks heading into the offseason.

The team decided not to use a franchise tag on wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who more than likely will jet as soon as he officially becomes a free agent at the end of the month. And considering Cincy decided to franchise kicker Shayne Graham, there’s a good possibility they’ll lose running back Cedric Benson this offseason, too.

You can already see the wheels turning in Mike Brown’s head. If he’s unable to re-sign Housh and Benson, he might look to draft one of the skill positions with the sixth overall pick, which would be a mistake. Adding a dynamic receiving prospect like Michael Crabtree or a big back like Chris “Beanie� Wells won’t get you very far if the offensive line remains a mess.