Rams sign free agent safety Chavous

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams, seeking to strengthen a defense that ranked 30th in the NFL in 2005, signed free agent safety Corey Chavous to a five-year contract Saturday.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Chavous is expected to make nearly $12 million in the first three years of the deal, earning $6 million to $7 million in base salary and a signing bonus in the first year.

Chavous, 30, may replace Adam Archuleta as the Rams' starting safety. Archuleta, a free agent, was scheduled to visit the Redskins on Saturday.

Chavous, an eight-year veteran, spent the past four seasons with Minnesota, starting all 64 regular-season games over that span. During those four years, he had 399 tackles, 14 interceptions, 41 pass breakups, forced one fumble and made one fumble recovery.

Last season, he was fourth on the Vikings with 90 tackles and had two interceptions and nine quarterback pressures.

His best season was 2003 when Chavous made the Pro Bowl with 108 tackles, eight interceptions and 15 passes defensed.

Chavous was the Arizona Cardinals' second-round pick (33rd overall) in the 1998 draft out of Vanderbilt.

In four seasons with the Cardinals, he had 220 tackles and five interceptions.

In St. Louis, he rejoins coach Scott Linehan, who was named as Mike Martz's replacement shortly after the end of the season in which the Rams were 6-10.

Linehan was offensive coordinator for the Vikings from 2002 through 2004. Earlier this month, the Rams signed six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle La'Roi Glover to a three-year contract.