ATLANTA -- Seeking to add a new dimension to an offense regarded at times as stodgy and predictable, the Atlanta Falcons on Friday signed unrestricted free agent tailback Warrick Dunn to a six-year contract. The agreement, officially announced at a Friday news conference, was first reported by ESPN.com on Thursday evening.

	Dunn

The deal concludes Dunn's five-year tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will pay him $28.5 million, with a $6.5 million signing bonus..

"I know things can happen in Atlanta with Michael Vick and the defense," Dunn said, referring to new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. "A lot of things factor into it. Atlanta is a great place to live."

In truth, the Falcons were left to bid against themselves in the final stages of the agreement, as the Bucs decided the price tag was exorbitant for a veteran viewed as a situational player. The only way Dunn might have returned to Tampa, which he insisted was his preference at the beginning of the free agency period on March 1, was if he decided his personal ties to the Bucs and to the community were too strong.

To have made such a decision, sources said, Dunn would have had to settle for significantly less money than he was being offered by the Falcons, who apparently were prepared to overpay to land him. The inclusion of Dunn into an offense that will feature Michael Vick as the starting quarterback in 2002 should generate more excitement and big plays. New owner Arthur Blank, who personally recruited Dunn and ostensibly made the final decision to sign him, is trying hard to upgrade a product Atlanta fans have largely ignored in recent years.

Dunn, 27, informed Bucs officials at the beginning of the free agent signing period that he would grant the club an unofficial right of first refusal, giving them to opportunity to match any offer he gets elsewhere. New coach Jon Gruden said several times he wanted to retain Dunn, but fiscal sanity seems to have prevailed, given that the former Florida State star is coming off his poorest season, a year in which he was plagued by injuries and rushed for a career-low 447 yards.

Leigh Steinberg denied reports his client had reached an agreement in principle with the Falcons, but added he was flying to Atlanta in hopes of making the deal official.

We have made progress on the financial terms," Steinberg said to The Associated Press. "Things are pointing in the right direction."

Most teams view Dunn as a third-down or change of pace back, but the Falcons apparently are telling him he will get 20 "touches" per game, a promise that might not bode well for the future of incumbent starting tailback Jamal Anderson. The consensus in the league is that Dunn, at 5-feet-8 and 180 pounds, cannot carry a running game full-time, even though he averaged 112 yards per contest in the final four games of the 2001 season.

If the Falcons are indeed to get Dunn the 20 "touches" per game his representatives claim that he was promised, it will be the biggest workload ever for the five-year veteran. Dunn has averaged 14.1 rushes and 17.8 "touches" per contest during his NFL tenure.

It might also mean that the Dan Reeves offense will undergo a dramatic overhaul. Since he first became a head coach in 1981, the top-receiving back in the Reeves-designed offense averaged just 40.5 receptions. Dunn had a career-best 68 catches in 2001. The most receptions ever for a running back under Reeves was 64 by Gerald Willhite of Denver in 1986.

The team apparently has convinced Dunn it will find ways to get him the ball. Whether he and Anderson can co-exist in the same backfield, or with special packages designed to address their diverse strengths remains to be seen. There are no plans to elevate Dunn to the lead-back role over Anderson, at least not at this time.

Anderson told ESPN.com that Reeves approached him earlier in the week when it seemed like the Falcons would pursue tailback Garrison Hearst, who subsequently re-signed with San Francisco. The ever-candid Anderson told Reeves he did not believe a time-sharing plan with Hearst was viable for him or the team. Reeves later asked Anderson what he felt about bringing Dunn aboard.

"Basically, I told him that I like Warrick, that I have a lot of respect for him," Anderson said. "But I think he's most effective as a complementary back. That's just my opinion on it."

In essence, Tampa Bay stayed in the Dunn Derby long enough to help drive up the price, since the Falcons will compete with the Bucs in the NFC South division under the league realignment that begins with the 2002 season. But the Bucs have begun scrambling for alternatives at tailback, phoning agents who represent other unrestricted players at the position, conceding on Thursday morning that they would not attempt to top the Atlanta offer.

The Bucs still have fullback Mike Alstott, who often lines up as a tailback in one-back sets, but he is not well-suited to Gruden's system. Tampa Bay may consider veteran free agents such as Ricky Watters (Seattle), Dorsey Levens (Green Bay) and James Allen (Chicago) now.

Contrary to reports that Philadelphia dropped out of the bidding on Wednesday, the Eagles actually decided on Monday that they would not meet Dunn's price tag. The Philadelphia ceiling on the signing bonus was $2.5 million-$3 million. Another suitor, the Detroit Lions, dropped out of the chase on Wednesday when they determined what Atlanta was offering. In characteristic fashion, agent Leigh Steinberg suggested Wednesday the Eagles and Lions were still in the hunt.

A first-round choice in the 1997 draft, Dunn has played in 76 games and started 65 during his Bucs tenure. He has 1,070 rushes for 4,200 yards and 17 touchdowns and caught 259 passes for 2,374 yards and nine scores.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.