While an official announcement isn't likely until the weekend, probably on Sunday afternoon, Green Bay Packers sources have confirmed that the team will match the restricted free agent offer sheet that linebacker Na'il Diggs signed with the Detroit Lions last week.

The deal is for four years, worth about $10.5 million, and includes a signing bonus of $2.8 million. But team sources told ESPN.com that the offer sheet is in line with what Green Bay had budgeted for Diggs on a long-term deal, and that they do not consider it prohibitive, even with their lack of cap room.

Technically the Packers have until Sunday to match the offer.

"To tell the truth, we're thrilled with the offer sheet, because basically all the Lions did was negotiate the contract for us," said one club official. "It's not a (budget)-breaker, not by any means, and we're definitely matching it."

Green Bay sources said that, in their negotiations with Diggs before he went ahead and signed the Detroit offer sheet, they were in the $2.5 million range on a signing bonus proposal. So the $2.8 million in upfront money Diggs got in his offer sheet with Detroit is in concert with the Packers' thinking.

By matching the offer sheet, Green Bay simply assumes the four-year deal the Lions had negotiated. Had the Packers opted not to match, they would have received a fourth-round pick in next month's draft as compensation. The team retained a right of first refusal on Diggs, a three-year veteran, by making him a $605,000 qualifying offer last month.

Diggs, 24, had asked coach Mike Sherman not to match the offer sheet, but retaining the three-year veteran was a priority for the Packers. The team will not re-sign Hardy Nickerson, the starter at middle linebacker last season, and released starting weakside linebacker Nate Wayne for salary cap reasons. The Packers have signed former Carolina part-time starter Hannibal Navies and he will move into the middle linebacker spot.

There is a chance that Diggs, who has playmaker potential, could switch to the weak side, but that depends on what other moves the Packers make.

The former Ohio State standout was a fourth-round choice in the 2000 draft and has been a starter since his rookie campaign. Diggs has started in 44 of his 45 appearances and has 257 tackles, five sacks, two interceptions and 17 passes defensed. He participated in 1,038 plays in 2002, second most on the Green Bay roster.

In a related matter, Packers vice president Andy Brandt continues to work on a possible long-term contract for defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, who is a restricted free agent, and also being courted by the Philadelphia Eagles. The highly-regarded "KGB" has 25½ sacks the past two seasons and Green Bay officials consider it a must to retain him.

The Packers are expected to complete a Friday trade, ESPN.com learned, for Washington Redskins offensive guard David Brandt. The former University of Michigan starter played in 13 games for the Redskins in 2001, and then abruptly retired before the 2002 training camp, and now has opted to resume his career.

Green Bay is likely to surrender a conditional seventh-round draft pick to acquire Brandt, who can play both guard and center.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.