Just a little more than a year ago, scarred by his own inconsistency and what he felt was unfair treatment from the Cleveland Browns former coaching staff, kicker Phil Dawson came very close to quitting the game.

What a difference a career year can make.

The three-year veteran enjoyed a breakout season in 2002, converting 22 of 25 field goal attempts, and now the Browns have rewarded him with a new contract. Financial details of the four-year contract were not yet available, but the deal reinforces the confidence the Browns have in the former University of Texas star, and provides him the security that he felt might elude him in the NFL.

"This is big for me and for my family," Dawson said. "I wanted to stay here and now the team has sent a signal, in a very real way, that they want me to be part of the future. It's a pretty good feeling given the (tenuous) way I once looked at the future."

Dawson, 27, was a restricted free agent this spring and the Browns made him the lowest-level qualifying offer permitted to retain his rights. He visited with Houston and Buffalo, and there were other teams interested as well, and there was much speculation he would sign a restricted free agent offer sheet with another club. Dawson acknowledged the talks got "pretty serious" with some franchises.

But coach Butch Davis insisted that the Browns would have matched virtually any offer sheet and retained a kicker who has become one of Cleveland's steadiest performers. The four-year contract likely makes Dawson one of the 10 highest paid kickers in the league. It also means he will not be eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring, which would have been the case if he had simply signed the one-year qualifying offer.

Dawson began his career with brief stints at Oakland and New England before signing on with the Browns as a "street" free agent in 1999. He struggled in training camp and some felt he might not make it onto the regular-season roster. Dawson converted eight of his 12 field goal attempts in 1999 and 14 of 17 in 2000. So the 22 field goals he made in 2001 equaled his previous career total.

His .880 percent conversion rate last season was second-best in the league, trailing only the .904 mark of Miami kicker Olindo Mare. He has made his last 15 field goal tries, the third-best streak in franchise history. For his career, Dawson has converted 44 of 54 field goals and 70 of 72 extra points for 202 points.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.