<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Barnett agrees to six-year extensionBy Len PasquarelliESPN.comStandout middle linebacker Nick Barnett, the Green Bay Packers' leading tackler in three of his four seasons with the club, on Tuesday agreed to a six-year contract extension, a deal that will keep him off the free-agent market next spring.Financial details of the extension were not yet available, but it is likely the guarantees in the new deal total at least $10 million. The extension culminates months of discussions between the two sides, with the negotiations having been ratcheted up in recent days.Without the extension, Barnett, the team's first-round choice in the 2003 draft, would have been set to enter the final year of his rookie contract, with a scheduled base salary of $1.95 million. Had he played out the original contract, Barnett, 25, would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring and would have been one of the most coveted players in the market.Barnett acknowledged earlier in the offseason that he wrestled with the notion of just playing under his current contract and testing free agency but conceded his priority was to remain with the Packers organization."It was definitely an option to hit the market, but being a Packer, for me, certainly was more important," Barnett said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference. "Being a Packer for life ... it's kind of a blessing to have that opportunity now. ... If you love playing football, there is no better place to be than here."Barnett has been participating in the team's offseason program for the past three weeks and said he had no intention of staying away from the workouts in order to force the hand of Green Bay officials.The former Oregon State standout has been a starter since the day he was drafted and has appeared in all but two games in four seasons, all 62 of them as the Green Bay starting middle linebacker. There are some personnel people in the league who feel Barnett is actually better suited to the weakside linebacker position, but there is no denying that he has prospered in the middle, where the Packers will probably keep him.He is valuable to a Green Bay defense that returns all 11 starters in 2007, not just because of his physical skills-set but also because of his knowledge of the overall scheme. As evidenced by his well-rounded statistics, Barnett is a three-down defender who, unlike most middle linebackers, does not have to leave the field in passing situations.Barnett has 631 career tackles and led the team in that category each of his first three seasons before finishing second to then-rookie A.J. Hawk in 2006. Barnett also has eight sacks, seven interceptions, 29 passes defensed, one forced fumble and six recoveries.The upcoming season, Barnett pointed out, will be the first in which he has played for the same coordinator and in the same system. That stability, he said, will help him and his teammates."This is my defense," he said. "I feel like I'm the guy other people look to in this defense, and I want to be that kind of leader."</div>http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2831864
