NEW YORK, July 13 - Three-times All-Pro defensive end Dwight Freeney and the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts have agreed in principle to a new long-term contract, the team said on Friday.

Terms of the deal were not released but the Indianapolis Star newspaper said the deal was a six-year, $72 million pact with a $30 million signing bonus.

The deal would make the five-year veteran the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.

Freeney, 25, has accumulated a team-record 56 ? sacks. He was the NFL's sacks leader in 2004 with a franchise-record 16.