Tailback Stephen Davis, whose nine-year contract signed in 2000 resulted in suffocating salary cap figures for the Washington Redskins, has agreed to a new, five-year deal that will help ameliorate the team's status against the 2002 league spending limit.

But the contract, details of which were not immediately available, does not address some of the future cap problems inherent to the original deal and hardly ensures the tailback's tenure with the franchise beyond this season.

"It gives us some (cap) relief for now but, the truth is, it just delays the inevitable in some ways," said a team source. "There's still a lot of work to be done if (Davis) is going to be around for the future."

Davis, 28, was scheduled to earn a base salary of $3 million this season and had a cap value of more than $6 million. Under the new contract, he will earn at least the $3 million that was due him, but his cap charge will be reduced.

Notable is that Davis has a 2003 cap value in excess of $11 million.

The Redskins likely will use the modest salary cap gain this season to sign a veteran free agent, probably a guard, which has been a position of weakness in training camp.

A six-year veteran, Davis has rushed for 4,970 yards and 38 touchdowns on 1,176 carries in his career. Since becoming a full-time starter in 1999, the former Auburn standout has averaged 1,386 rushing yards. He established new career bests in attempts (356) and yards (1,432) in 2001.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.