To the surprise of no one, the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday declined to match the restricted free agent offer sheet signed last week by Matt Bowen, and the three-year veteran safety will now join the Washington Redskins.

The Redskins last Tuesday signed Bowen to a four-year deal worth about $6 million and including a $1.6 million signing bonus. While most observers did not expect the Packers to match the offer sheet, Green Bay officials took the entire week available to them to render a decision.

Green Bay will receive the Redskins' sixth-round choice in the 2003 draft as compensation for the Bowen signing. The Packers had retained the right of first refusal on Bowen by making him a qualifying offer of $605,000.

Washington officials, who have arduously reviewed videotape of Bowen, regard him as a considerable upgrade for them at free safety, and he will go to training camp as the starter at the position.

Bowen, 26, has played in 38 games with eight starts, and has 63 tackles, one interception, a forced fumble and nine passes defensed. Bowen also is a very good special teams player.

The former Iowa star was a sixth-round choice of St. Louis in the 2000 draft and played in all 16 games, with two starts, as a rookie. But then he suffered a broken right foot in the 2001 season-opener, was placed on injured reserve and subsequently waived. Green Bay, beset by injuries at safety, signed him late in the season.

Bowen is a good hitter, has deceptive speed and range, and should be a very good fit for the Redskins.

For the Redskins, it's one down and two to go in the restricted market. Washington still has two offer sheets outstanding on restricted players from the New York Jets and one comes due Thursday.

The Jets are likely Thursday to match the five-year, $7.945 million deal awarded to kickoff return specialist Chad Morton, and retain him under the contract the Redskins negotiated.

More significant, of course, is the offer sheet to which the Redskins agreed with wide receiver Laveranues Coles on Sunday night. That offer sheet has not yet been turned into the league, and likely won't be, because agent Rosey Barnes is not scheduled to arrive in Washington until Tuesday evening to review the deal.

The offer sheet will probably be submitted Wednesday and the seven-day clock will start ticking for Jets officials.

Before concluding a two-day visit with Redskins officials Tuesday, Coles spoke with Jets assistant general manager Mike Tannenbaum and said that "(his) basic impression" was that New York will not match the seven-year, $35 million offer sheet, which includes a $13 million signing bonus.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.