Alan Faneca will decide among three NFL suitors by tonight and sign a contract tomorrow or early Monday that his agent said will make him the highest paid lineman in the league.

Faneca, who made seven Pro Bowls in his 10 seasons as the Steelers starting left guard, has offers from the New York Jets, the St. Louis Rams and the San Francisco 49ers.

The total amount of the deal, a source told the Post-Gazette, will average around $8 million a year and will contain no less than $20 million in guaranteed money. The three teams are talking about contracts for either four or five years in duration, so depending on the length it should be around $32 million or $40 million.

"He was the highest-paid guard the last three years and now he'll be the highest-paid offensive lineman in football," agent Rick Smith predicted. "I have personal satisfaction in that because if anyone deserves it, he does."

Smith called an ESPN report on Friday that Faneca had agreed to a four-year contract with the Jets "way premature" and that he still had not decided.

The Steelers tried to sign Faneca to a contract extension last year but did not come close to what he and his agent thought he should get at the time, and his new contract this weekend will show they were correct.

Faneca, 31, will not visit any of the teams until after he's agreed to a contract. He wants to decide quickly.

"When he makes his decision and flies out and signs the contract it will be a bittersweet day," Smith said. "When you play 10 years for a given organization in a city with the same teammates, it really is bittersweet. But it's a new chapter in his life."

There was little other news on other Steelers free agents, although linebacker Clark Haggans seems to be drawing the next-most interest after Faneca. The Cleveland Browns are reported to be looking at Haggans, as were the New England Patriots.

Allen Rossum, released by the Steelers last week, signed a one-year deal with San Francisco. He failed as a punt and kick returner after the Steelers traded a seventh-round draft pick this year to Atlanta for him to start the 2007 season.