WEST ORANGE, N.J. -- News of a great night with Paul Zimmerman and his friends five paragraphs south of here, but first, an interesting twist (a bitter one, it sounds like) about the Jon Gruden move to ESPN's Monday Night Football booth.

Do not invite Gruden and NFL Network czar Steve Bornstein to the same event anytime soon, or ever. Bornstein wants to wring Gruden's neck. The NFL Network is furious with Gruden for jilting the network after he'd verbally agreed to a deal to work there. The former Bucs coach had been very good on the NFL Network, colorful and opinionated, at the NFL scouting combine and the NFL draft, and the network had finalized everything but the signature on the paper for Gruden to begin working there immediately. In fact, he was slated to be at NFL Films this week to begin his job full time. But ESPN swooped in, offered Gruden the Monday night seat vacated by Tony Kornheiser (how convenient), and Gruden took it.

Brett Favre says he's retired, but Minnesota coach Brad Childress acknowledges it's likely the Vikings will at least assess their interest in the record-setting quarterback later in the offseason.

Childress declined on Friday to directly answer a question about whether he plans to speak to Favre soon. The coach said he has been too busy with the NFL draft and the team's rookie minicamp.

Favre asked for and received his release from the Jets earlier this week. The 39-year-old Favre left his future open with the disclaimer "at this time" in a statement affirming his retirement.

The Packers filed tampering charges against the Vikings last summer, alleging inappropriate contact with Favre while he was waffling again on his retirement. The league dismissed the case.

Asked whether the team discussed the possibility of pursuing Favre now that he's a free agent, Childress said no.

"We haven't. It doesn't mean we won't," Childress said. "We talk about everything, from what's going on in the United States on the front page today. ... So, yeah, I'm sure we'll talk about that."

The Detroit Lions hope Matthew Stafford ends their decades-long search for a star quarterback.

The Lions on Saturday announced they signed Stafford to a six-year contract. Agent Tom Condon and Ben Dogra, who also represents the Georgia QB, negotiated the deal with $41.7 million in guarantees and a maximum value of $78 million.

Condon confirmed the agreement to The Associated Press on Friday night.

The Lions will formally take Stafford with the No. 1 pick in the draft Saturday.

They have five of the first 82 picks to help the NFL's first 0-16 team bounce back to respectability.

Detroit hasn't had a quarterback play in the Pro Bowl since Greg Landry in 1971. Long-term stability at the position has been elusive since Bobby Layne starred for them in the 1950s.

NEW YORK -- John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach who has worked as a football broadcaster for more than 30 years, is retiring, NBC announced today.

"It's been such a great ride... the NFL has been my life for more than 40 years, it has been my passion .... it still is," Maddden, 73, said in a statement from NBC. "I still love every part of it, the travel, the practices, the game film, the games, seeing old friends and meeting new people... but I know this is the right time."

Madden has been the game analyst for "NBC Sunday Night Football" since 2006. The final game he called was Super Bowl XLIII, in which the Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals for their sixth NFL championship.

In 1969, at age 33, he became head coach of the Oakland Raiders and coached there until 1979, when he started his broadcasting career at CBS.

Jay Cutler got his wish Thursday: a ticket out of Denver. And the Chicago Bears have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades.

The Broncos announced Thursday that they had agreed to trade their disgruntled Pro Bowl passer to the Bears, who've gone through a bevy of quarterbacks without much success ever since Jim McMahon was calling plays in the 1980s.

The Broncos will get quarterback Kyle Orton in return, along with two first-round draft picks and a third-rounder.

The Broncos get the Bears' top pick in this year's draft, which is No. 18 overall, and Chicago's first-round draft pick in 2010 along with a third-round selection this year (No. 84 overall). Denver also gave up a fifth-rounder this year.

Calls to Cutler's agent, Bus Cook, went unanswered. His office in Hattiesberg, Miss., was closed because of bad weather and his home phone had a message asking callers to call back later. An e-mail sent by The Associated Press wasn't returned.

Jay Cutler finally met face-to-face with Josh McDaniels over the weekend, but nothing was resolved, leading to doubt the quarterback will show up for the new coach's first team meeting Monday.

The Denver Broncos' coach and Pro Bowl quarterback, who are involved in a simmering feud over trade talks, met Saturday at the team's training facility, and both sides agreed to regroup and continue conversations, team spokesman Patrick Smyth told The Associated Press.

It wasn't clear if the sides planned to meet again Sunday.

On Saturday, Cutler and his agent, Bus Cook, met with McDaniels and general manager Brian Xanders in what the Broncos described as mild-mannered conversations at Dove Valley.

Denver station KCNC-TV reported that the meeting didn't go well, however, and The Denver Post reported that words were exchanged between Cutler and McDaniels.

Terrell Owens has agreed to a one-year, $6.5 million deal with the Buffalo Bills, according to sources.

The Bills called a 6:15 p.m. news conference Saturday to announce the signing. According to a source, the entire contract is guaranteed.

Owens visited the Bills on Saturday. He was released by the Dallas Cowboys late Wednesday.

Owens' agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said in a text message Friday that his client wouldn't be out of work for too long. Negotiations had begun with several teams, Rosenhaus said.

"There are several teams that are interested in signing Terrell," Rosenhaus said. "I have been in negotiations with these teams. I will not identify the teams at this time. Terrell and I expect to have a deal in place by the end of next week if not sooner."

The Dallas Cowboys have released controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens, sources told ESPN's Michael Smith late Wednesday.

In late February, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not deny the team was discussing the possible release of Owens. Owens' future was brought up again in meetings at Valley Ranch on Wednesday, but Jones had not made a final decision when most people left the building, a source told ESPN.com's Matt Mosley.

"There are several decisions on our roster we have to look at," Jones said in February. "This is the time of year we do that. I'm not trying to be trite, but as you all know we're evaluating players in college, we're evaluating free agents and we're evaluating our own roster. This is an ongoing thing, not any different than this time last year."

The team did not immediately have a comment. A spokesman for Owens said he hadn't heard the news, and that the receiver was traveling and could not immediately be reached, the Associated Press reported.

The Cowboys paid Owens a $12 million signing bonus just last year, included as part of a new four-year, $34 million deal. Dallas will take a roughly $9 million salary cap hit with the release of Owens.

Matt Cassel, whom the New England Patriots named as their franchise player in early February, has been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cassel had accepted the Patriots' non-exclusive franchise tender, guaranteeing the quarterback at least $14.65 million next season. Cassel faxed his acceptance to the Patriots, the NFL and the NFLPA, but the Patriots also needed to offer him the one-year contract.

The franchise tag's value is the average of the top five salaries for NFL players at a particular position.

Cassel finished 327 of 516 for 3,693 yards, with 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

It would be the Chiefs' second acquisition of a major member of the Patriots' organization in as many days; the Chiefs traded for linebacker Mike Vrabel on Friday. It also was orchestrated by one as well -- Scott Pioli, the former Patriots vice president of player personnel who this year was hired as the Chiefs' general manager.

Taylor was scheduled to make about $6 million next season, so getting rid of the 11-year veteran was no surprise since he had clearly become the second option behind Maurice Jones-Drew.

The Jaguars might try to re-sign the 33-year-old back. But Taylor has made it clear he still believes he can be a starter in the NFL.

Taylor is 16th on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 11,271 yards, 81 behind John Riggins. He had 556 yards on the ground last season, splitting time with Jones-Drew, and averaged a career-low 3.9 yards a carry behind an injury-riddled offensive line.