ORLANDO -- In a move that immediately elevates the Green Bay front four and provides the team one of the premier players in the unrestricted free agent market, the Packers have reached an agreement in principle with defensive end Joe Johnson, ESPN.com has learned.

	Johnson

While there remain some details still to be negotiated, the two sides have agreed on all of the key elements of the contract, sources said.

A terrific two-way right end, one who plays the run well and also provides a consistent pass rush, Johnson played the previous eight seasons of his NFL career in New Orleans, and the Saints were also bidding to retain him. The spin from New Orleans was that they broke off negotiations Wednesday morning. If that is the case, they forfeited a prominent player in their defense.

The Saints didn't help their own cause by suggesting to Johnson that his agent, Rosey Barnes, was dragging his feet in negotiations. Johnson is fiercely loyal to Barnes and took an active role himself in virtually every step of the bargaining process.

Johnson, 29, will sign a six-year contract. The way the contract is structured, it is essentially a three-year deal for about $16 million and it includes a signing bonus of $6 million-$7 million. The agreement is likely to be officially announced Thursday by the Packers.

Green Bay had to restructure the contract of center Frank Winters -- from a base salary of about $1.5 million to $750,000 -- to create enough cap space to finish the deal.

The acquisition of Johnson, whom Green Bay coaches and officials felt was the best unrestricted free agent available, further bolsters a defense that statistically ranked No. 12 in the league last season. He will line up at right end and Vonnie Holliday, who certainly will benefit from having a player of Johnson's ilk as his linemate, at left end.

The guess is that on passing downs, Holliday and Johnson will move inside to tackle, and Jamal Reynolds and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila will come in as pass-rush ends.

While the addition of Johnson isn't as significant as the Packers' acquisition of Reggie White in 1993 -- the deal that catapulted Green Bay back to prominence -- it will have a major effect on the quality of the team's defense.

With the exception of the 1999 season, when he missed the entire schedule with a knee injury, the former Louisville star has been a model of durability and consistent production. The Saints' top pick in the 1994 draft, Johnson has played in 106 games and started 104 of them.

Johnson has 384 tackles, 51 sacks, 14 forced fumbles, two recoveries and five passes defensed. He has 28 sacks over the last three seasons. In 2001, Johnson started all 16 games, recorded 64 tackles and nine sacks.

With the loss of Johnson, the Saints probably will escalate their pursuit of free agent defensive end Renaldo Wynn, formerly of Jacksonville.

Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.