With the clock ticking toward a Monday resolution of kicker Kris Brown's status, the Pittsburgh Steelers hinted Saturday they may not match a restricted free agent offer sheet to their placement specialist, as ESPN.com learned the team has opened negotiations with Todd Peterson.

Team officials exchanged contract proposals with Michael Moye, the agent for Peterson, and there is a chance the eight-year veteran and unrestricted free agent will visit with Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher as early as Sunday evening. Pittsburgh on Saturday morning made a three-year proposal to Peterson and he countered several hours later with a four-year proposal.

It is believed Peterson, who kicked the past two years with the Kansas City Chiefs and is regarded by several clubs as the best kicker still available in the unrestricted market, is seeking a contract that is worth about $1 million annually.

The active negotiations with Peterson reflect the very real possibility Pittsburgh will simply not meet the price of the Brown offer sheet. Obviously, the team is seeking a viable alternative to Brown, who struggled throughout the 2001 campaign.

The Steelers have until Monday at 4 p.m. to match the three-year offer sheet that Brown, who is a restricted free agent, signed with the expansion Houston Texans last week. Steelers management is clearly split over whether to match the four-year, $4.7 million offer sheet. If they match, they inherit the terms of the offer sheet, which includes a $1 million signing bonus.

Should the Steelers decide not to match the offer sheet, Brown would move on to the Texans and Houston would have to compensate Pittsburgh with a seventh-round choice in this year's draft.

A major sticking point for the Steelers is that Houston has partially guaranteed base salaries in the final two years of the Brown offer sheet. He is scheduled to make $900,000 in 2004 and $1.3 million in 2005. But the Texans have guaranteed $375,000 in each of those years.

Beyond the fact Steelers owner Dan Rooney is philosophically opposed to such salary guarantees, Brown is coming off a terrible 2001 season, and Pittsburgh might not want to make a long-term commitment to him. Brown, 25, missed a league-high 14 field goal attempts in 2001, has blamed the surface at the new Heinz Field for his poor performance, and suggested last week he would prefer to kick in his native Texas.

That final remark will not sit well with the throaty Steelers fans if the team matches the offer sheet and Brown struggles again in 2002.

It is thought that Cowher and director of football operations Kevin Colbert want to match the offer sheet and retain Brown's services. Rooney and contract negotiator Omar Khan are wary of matching the deal because they don't want to impact future salary caps.

Peterson, 32, has kicked for three different teams in his NFL career, and Kansas City indicated early in the free agent period they want to re-sign him. He is also being pursued by Cincinnati and is believed to be the next kicker on Houston's wish list if the Steelers retain Brown by matching the offer sheet to him.

The former University of Georgia star has converted 170 of 213 field goal tries and all but one of his 234 extra point attempts during his career. Peterson hit 27 of 35 field goals and 27 of 28 extra points for the Chiefs in 2001.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.