The Buffalo Bills have made no secret of their determination to upgrade the linebacker corps and, with that as an offseason priority, on Friday continued to aggressively chase high-impact players at the position.

Five-year veteran Takeo Spikes, designated a "transition" free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals, signed an offer sheet with the Bills after two days of get-acquainted meetings with coaches and negotiations with club officials. The deal came hours after the Bills cleared just more than $5 million from their 2003 salary cap by trading "franchise" receiver Peerless Price to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2003 first-round choice.

The contract, negotiated by agent Todd France over a two-day period, is for six years and believed to be worth about $32 million. Spikes will earn over $17 million in the first three years of the contract.

Because of the "transition" marker, the Bengals retain a right of first refusal and, thus, they have seven days to match the offer. If Cincinnati matches the deal, they assume the contract negotiated by the Bills. If they decide not to match, Spikes goes to the Bills and the Bengals get no compensation.

Cincinnati officials, who received the offer sheet via fax Friday afternoon, had no immediate comment. Spikes, however, is arguably the team's best defender and new head coach Marvin Lewis had suggested early this week that he might move him to the middle linebacker position.

Obviously, the Bills hope the Bengals do not match the offer.

"I'm sure they will take all seven days (to decide), because that's what most teams typically do," said Buffalo general manager Tom Donahoe. "So we'll just have to sit and wait. But, clearly, we hope we get Takeo here. We really feel he is a difference maker who would fit in well with what we do."

The Bills will have to carry the 2003 salary cap number of the offer sheet on their cap while the Bengals deliberate whether or not to match. And Spikes still counts $4.846 million, the value of a "transition" linebacker, against the Cincinnati salary cap.

Spikes, 26, was the Bengals' first-round choice in the 1998 draft. He has posted more than 100 tackles all five years in the league and missed just one game during his career. That came when his father passed away early in the 2001 season.

He has 567 tackles, 14½ sacks and five interceptions.

The former Auburn star, frequently outspoken, has never been shy about his plans to escape Cincinnati if provided the opportunity. Spikes has indicated he has grown tired of the losing there and wanted a fresh start elsewhere.

Lewis has flip-flopped a few times in discussing Spikes and his future with the club. When he was first hired, Lewis suggested that if Spikes did not want to be part of rebuilding the program, maybe it would be better if he departed. He subsequently claimed he wanted to retain Spikes but then, as it became apparent the linebacker might sign an offer sheet with another team, returned to his initial stance.

"Signing the (offer) sheet would definitely be a message that he did not want to stay here," Lewis said.

If the Bills acquire Spikes, he would be the second linebacker added since the start of the free agent period.

The Bills were the first team out of the chute at the start of free agency, signing strongside linebacker Jeff Posey of Houston to a four-year deal just an hour after the signing period began last Friday.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.