The Boston Globe's Mike Reiss is reporting that the Patriots are set to re-sign ILB Tedy Bruschi to an undisclosed contract as early as Friday.  Initial speculation had the deal being a one-year agreement, but ESPN's John Clayton believes it will be of the multi-year variety.

While Bruschi likely won't be much more than a situational player and his decision to re-sign doesn't solve the Pats' offseason concerns at the linebacker position by a long shot, Tedy's proven that his very presence on the sidelines alone merits his receiving substantial paychecks every week.  There's no doubt that a multi-year deal is a bit risky at this stage of his career, but if there's any player that's earned the respect and admiration necessary for investing heavily in such a dicey deal, it's Tedy.  Bruschi's been the cornerstone of the Patriots defense for over a decade now and he played a pivotal role in all three of the Patriots' recent Super Bowl victories.  And in the end, the man still had 92 tackles last season, so how can it ever really be a bad thing bringing back your team's tackles leader from the previous season?

Welcome back, Tedy.

In other Patriots news, the team agreed to terms with WR Kelley Washington.  Terms were not disclosed and Washington will likely remain a special teamer next season, but he does provide an interesting option in the event that the Pats don't re-sign or replace Jabar Gaffney.  The Pats also recently agreed to a deal with long-snapper Lonnie Paxton and tendered offers to LBs Eric Alexander and Pierre Woods, as well as S Ray Ventrone and OT Wesley Britt.  Depending on the moves the Pats make throughout the rest of this offseason, Alexander and Woods may see a significant increase in playing time on defense next season.