Chris Daughtry Close to Record Deal With RCA Music Group

American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry has been offered a record deal by RCA Music Group and is very close top accepting the deal, a published report claims.  Daughtry, the steely-faced rocker that shocked idol viewers when voted off the show before the finals is in talks with the group, TMZ reports.

Chris Daughtry Set to Sign Recoed Deal

The one-time favorite may be in the best position of any American Idol finalist as his rock genre presents him with a multitude of options.  American Idol made him a household name and now he is able to use that fame to mull offers such as the one he received from the rock band 'Fuel.'

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The band courted him after performing their 2003 hit, "Hemorrhage" on Idol. Fuel, whose breakthrough single, "Shimmer," emerged in 1998, will have to look elsewhere to find a replacement for Brett Scallions, who quit in February.

He has rejected that offer and sources tell TMZ that he is leaning towards RCA.

"I'm going to be doing my own thing," Daughtry told the Charlotte Observer, while home in North Carolina over the weekend.

He wasn't specific - but it appears his "own thing' means a deal with RCA.

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E! Online is reporting that For now, the aspiring rocker said he plans to keep living in North Carolina, along with his wife and two stepchildren.

On July 5, he'll join reigning Idol Taylor Hicks and the other top 10 finalists for the kick-off of the American Idols Live tour in Manchester, New Hampshire. The tour concludes Sept. 24 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

--Jill Atkins writes from Hollywood