John Lynch, who despite being 37 years old has been the most consistent performer on the Denver defense the past 3 seasons, has agreed to terms with the Broncos on a restructured deal that will see the mega-Pro Bowler return to the Orange and Blue in 2008.
Lynch, who had 1 more year on his existing contract for $3 million was on the verge of being released by the Broncos after the two sides struggled to come to terms on a new deal.
After considering retirement for much of the reloading season, it had become clear in recent days that Lynch still had the desire to play, especially after being named to the AFC's Pro Bowl team again this year.
Despite his age, Lynch still performs at a high level and will stabilize a key position of need next season.
UPDATE -- It appears that Lynch was alot closer to leaving than most of us knew about --
By the time Bowlen called back, Lynch had fallen asleep.
By Friday, Lynch was having a change of heart. And conversations with Bowlen and Broncos coach Mike Shanahan led the nine-time Pro Bowl safety to change his mind and accept less money for at least one more season in Denver.
"I could probably go make more money elsewhere in the free agent market," Lynch told Denver-area media outlets. "And I had really gone to bed excited about that.
"And then I woke up thinking, 'What am I doing?' I've got four kids who are happy here. I've found a home here and I didn't want to be one of those guys going from team to team. I felt I had earned what I had coming to me but sometimes you have to step back and look at the big picture. And the big picture to me was: I had to find a way to make this work."