Lelie, who was reportedly in Houston yesterday visiting the Texans and former Denver assistant and current Houston head coach Gary Kubiak, will sign once he reaches Santa Clara, the Web site said.

The deal reportedly is worth $4.3 million over two years, according to the NFL Network.

The agreement with Lelie came a day after the 49ers signed cornerback Nate Clements and safety Michael Lewis, and the same day in which they re-signed receiver Bryan Gilmore, extended the contract by two years of cornerback Walt Harris, and signed former Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin to a free-agent deal.

With Lelie, the team hopes they are not once again inviting trouble. Before coach Mike Nolan was hired, the team endured years of drama with Terrell Owens.

A year ago, they dealt Brandon Lloyd to the Redskins, after the wideout alienated most of the locker room. Last week, they released the troubled Antonio Bryant after a one-year experiment in which Bryant clashed with coaches, was arrested (reckless driving and resisting arrest), and was suspended for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Lelie became the first player in UH history to be drafted in the first round when he was selected by Denver in 2002.

He comes to the 49ers after a disappointing season in Atlanta in which he caught 28 passes for 430 yards and a touchdown, but dropped several balls.

A year earlier, he staged a holdout in Denver after he was demoted to third receiver when the Broncos acquired Javon Walker.

Lelie doesn't have to worry about getting demoted now. Known as a deep threat, he will likely be the 49ers top target. The team is hoping Lelie, 30, can recapture his 2004 form when he caught 54 passes for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns.

Franklin signed a three-year contract worth a reported $6 million. With the team likely saying goodbye to hard-working but undersized Anthony Adams, Franklin will compete with Ronald Fields and Isaac Sopoaga, another former UH standout.

If the 49ers fulfill their desire to convert fully from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense, they feel Fields would be well-suited to play left defensive end, with the lighter, quicker Bryant Young manning the right side. That would leave Franklin and Sopoaga in the middle.

Franklin, who developed under Nolan in Baltimore, has played little behind the Ravens' Kelly Gregg, who is considered an underrated force.

But Franklin, who was taken in the fifth round of the 2003 draft, seems to have a hard-hat attitude for the work.

"Nose tackles are blue collar guys," said Franklin on the 49ers Web site. "We just come to work, bring our lunch pail every day and work hard."

"Aubrayo is an aggressive, physical lineman who fits the description of a prototypical nose tackle in a 3-4 defense," said Nolan. "He brings tremendous value to our football team. He was extremely well coached during his time in Baltimore, and he played a key role in the success that the Ravens' defenses had over the last several seasons."

Harris said he was happy with the two-year extension, which will keep the 11th-year player with the team for three more seasons.