Patriots’ Tom Brady to be NFL’s highest-paid player

Tom Brady has agreed to a four-year extension that would make him the NFL’s highest paid player, two people with knowledge of the contract said.

The extension for the New England Patriots quarterback begins in 2011 at an average of $18 million per year with a total of $48.5 million guaranteed, one of those persons said.

Both persons spoke on condition of anonymity because the paperwork had not yet been filed with the NFL.

Brady is making $6.5 million this season in the final year of a six-year deal.

The average value of Brady’s deal surpasses that of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who agreed this year to a six-year, $97.5-million ($16.25 million average) extension starting next year.

Manning is making $9.4 million this season.

Earlier in the day, Brady was in a two-vehicle accident near his home but was unhurt and hours later practiced as usual with the team just days before the season opener.

The crash, at an intersection in Boston’s Back Bay area, knocked over a light pole and sent a passenger in the minivan that collided with Brady’s car to a hospital with injuries that were serious but not considered life-threatening, a police report said.

A witness told the Associated Press that Brady was approaching the intersection on a green light when his black Audi sedan collided with the minivan.

The 21-year-old driver of the Mercury Villager minivan, Ludgero Rodrigues, was cited for failing to stop at a red light, based on witnesses statements, police said.

Woodson rewarded

The Green Bay Packers signed cornerback Charles Woodson to a contract extension through the 2014 season, a deal that will likely allow the 2009 AP defensive player of the year to retire as a Packer.

The 33-year-old Woodson signed a five-year contract that is worth as much as $55 million, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press.

Austin extension

The Dallas Cowboys and Pro Bowl wide receiver Miles Austin agreed to a six-year contract extension through the 2016 season.

Austin agreed a $3.168 million one-year contract in June, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had repeatedly said he wanted to sign the receiver to a long-term deal.

A story posted on the Cowboys’ official team website said the extension was worth about $54 million. That is on top of the deal for this season.

Etc.

The head of the NFL Players Assn., DeMaurice Smith, says the union would like to see a labor agreement with the league by November. Smith’s comment seems optimistic, given that both sides have spoken about a potential lockout next season. Smith said he only spoke of a lockout in response to what “the league has been preparing for since 2007.” … Tennessee Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said Will Witherspoon’s mother died unexpectedly and that the starting linebacker has been excused from practice this week. Nora Lee Cooper Witherspoon was 56. Fisher said the Titans are leaving it up to Witherspoon when to return, though the veteran told the coach he plans to be back for Sunday’s opener against Oakland.