Tennessee Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse will undergo surgery on his left foot next Thursday and, even with assurances the four-year veteran will be recovered well in advance of training camp, his upcoming contract talks figure to be as delicate as the medical procedure.

One of the league's most feared pass rushers during his first three seasons, Kearse is entering the final year of his initial NFL contract, and agent Drew Rosenhaus and general manager Floyd Reese are to soon start negotiations on a possible extension.

Just how much Kearse's imminent surgery impacts on those negotiations remains to be seen.

"I think there is at least a question as to whether or not you could do a seven-year deal without seeing him do some things or at least getting a good report from the doctors," Reese acknowledged. "Both sides are going to have to be pretty imaginative here."

Kearse, 26, broke a bone on the outside portion of his left foot on the second snap of the 2002 season opener. In an ensuing procedure, a surgical screw was inserted to hold the bone together and promote healing. But the recovery period was longer than anticipated and Kearse appeared in just four games, all with a limited snap count, and complained of discomfort in the foot.

After averaging 12 sacks in his first three seasons, including a rookie record 14½ in 1999, Kearse had only two sacks in limited playing time in '02. And because Titans coaches wanted to relieve pressure on the foot when he was able to play toward the end of the season, he moved back to left end, the spot where he began his career.

The pending surgery, to be performed by Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C., will include a bone graft procedure. One of the nation's top specialists in terms of foot orthopedics, Anderson has performed the operation many times. He is the same orthopedist who operated on another Rosenhaus client, St. Louis defensive tackle Damione Lewis, in a similar procedure. Anderson also performed surgery on the toe of Titans tailback Eddie George in 2001.

The team and Kearse opted for Anderson after the player visited with several specialists around the country.

Rosenhaus termed the surgery a "no brainer" and, indeed, the prospects that Kearse will be ready to play after a recovery stretch of eight to 12 weeks are very good. That said, foot surgeries tend to be dicey matters, and the Titans may be loathe to commit big money to Kearse until they are assured that he is back to 100 percent physically.

The former University of Florida standout is scheduled to earn a base salary of $4 million for 2003 and has a cap value of $4.87 million.

The positive is that Rosenhaus, who did not negotiate Kearse's original NFL contract, is one of the most creative minds in the business. Last year, when the Titans would not discuss an extension because the Kearse contract still had two seasons remaining, Rosenhaus cobbled out a deal that would have easily netted his client an extra $2 million in incentives were he healthy. He also got Tennessee officials to pay Kearse an advance on his base salary.

Still, the foot surgery remains a hurdle in negotiations that will have to be successfully navigated to quickly strike a new deal.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.