ATLANTA -- Offensive tackle Bob Whitfield, the player with the longest tenure on the Atlanta Falcons roster, has restructured his contract to help the franchise create more salary cap space for the 2002 season.

	Whitfield

Details of the reworked deal were not immediately available, but agent Ken Landphere confirmed for ESPN.com that the maneuver provides Atlanta about $1 million-$1.2 million in additional cap funds. Whitfield, 30, was to earn a base salary of $2.3 million this season.

It is believed the salary was reduced to the $750,000 minimum, with the difference of $1.55 million guaranteed in a signing bonus. If that is the case, Whitfield's cap number would drop from $4.183 million to $2.943 million.

But the new deal, Landphere said, went beyond just a simple restructuring and affects some other seasons of the contract.

"We moved some money around and also ensured that Bob will finish his career in Atlanta," Landphere said. "That was important to him. It's really a win-win deal and Bob knew it was key for the team. It was a proactive thing from both ends."

Ironically, the current contract was negotiated after the 2000 season by Ray Anderson, now the Falcons' chief financial officer. Landphere was a partner in Anderson's agency and has taken over representation of his clients. Still, it was obvious that, if the Falcons needed some cap room, the relationship between Whitfield and Anderson would work in their favor.

The Falcons are attempting to restructure the contracts of several veterans, in part to create cap room as the team moves closer toward commencing the negotiations with linebacker Keith Brooking and defensive end Patrick Kerney on contract extensions. Both standout defenders are in the final year of their contracts and eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring.

Whitfield's contract, which runs through the '06 season, was not extended.

The 10-year veteran was a first-round choice in the 1992 draft, has been a starter his entire career, and has appeared in 154 games.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.