Weeks of negotiations and promises finally paid off for the Tennessee Titans and Tom Ackerman on Wednesday afternoon, as the team reached a contract accord with the veteran offensive lineman and unrestricted free agent, who is likely to start at center in 2003.

The agreement ends a lengthy courtship, as team officials have attempted to clear cap space to re-sign Ackerman, a versatile blocker. More important, the deal finally provides the Titans a veteran snapper, a glaring deficiency for the past month.

Terms of the contract were not immediately available.

For several weeks, it seems, the two sides have been close to an agreement. But, as usual, the Titans had cap issues to resolve. And while Ackerman had said since the beginning of the free-agent period that he wanted to stay with the Titans, he was beginning to draw interest from other franchises, and also growing anxious about the Tennessee situation.

Tennessee created sufficient salary-cap space on Wednesday by rescinding a qualifying offer to restricted free agent running back Mike Green and cutting a pair of younger players, tight end Nate Bandy and center Matt Anderson, who had failed to make NFL Europe rosters.

The club's starting center from 2002, five-year veteran Gennaro DiNapoli, remains an unrestricted free agent. There were face-to-face discussions this week between DiNapoli's representatives and Titans general manager Floyd Reese, and there is a chance the veteran snapper will return.

Ackerman had been told earlier by team officials, though, that he would go to camp as the starter. He has been working out at the Titans' complex for several weeks now.

The versatile blocker has played both guard and center during his seven-year career in the league. Ackerman, 30, appeared in 11 games and started three for the Titans last year, filling in for injured left guard Zach Piller late in the season, when the starter suffered a severely sprained ankle.

A former Eastern Washington standout, Ackerman played the first six years of his career with the New Orleans Saints. Known as a solid in-line blocker, he has 89 appearances and 21 starts.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.