Veteran tight end Pete Mitchell, who played in a career-low five games with the Detroit Lions last season, has returned to the scene of his greatest performances.

	Mitchell

Mitchell, 30, on Friday agreed to a one-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he was a standout for four seasons at the outset of his career.

He will sign a one-year, $650,000 contract with no signing bonus. The deal takes advantage of a new rule that permits franchises to now sign long-time veterans to minimum salaries and still gain cap relief.

Under the rule, Mitchell will count only $450,000 under the Jacksonville salary cap for 2002.

The seven-year veteran will team with starting tight end Kyle Brady, who last week restructured and extended his contract to help the Jaguars create more cap space, and provides the team with a solid backup. His addition will also allow coach Tom Coughlin to often align in the two-tight end formation he prefers.

Mitchell played for Coughlin at Boston College, and the two have enjoyed a very close relationship in the NFL as well.

Selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 1995 draft, Mitchell was traded to the Jaguars in August of that year. He played the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Jags, appearing in 64 consecutives games and starting 38 of them. During that period (1995-98), he averaged 41.5 catches per year and his 166 receptions are third-most in franchise history.

He has twice caught more than 50 passes in a season and his career year came in 1999 with the New York Giants, when he caught 58 balls. Mitchell signed with the Giants as a free agent in 1999 and was an integral part of the team's NFC championship in 2000.

Mitchell signed with Detroit last spring, played in just five games, then was released.

For his career, he has appeared in 98 games and has 254 receptions for 2,639 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.