Lance Briggs to stay in Chicago

[Brando19]

http://blogs.jsonline.com/packers/archive/2008/03/01/briggs-staying-in-chicago.aspx


Oh well...I don't guess he'll be leaving Da Bears so we'll have to keep beating him twice a year.

[RashanGary]

I can't believe Briggs didn't get more than that. Wasn't he a UFA? ? ?

[Brando19]

Yeah Briggs was an UFA. I don't think many teams were sold on him.

[RashanGary]

How does Barrian get 42 and Briggs get 36. This is a bit of a shock.

[RashanGary]

Why does it seem like every client of Rosenturd gets screwed over?

[red]

wow, thats nothing

thats peanuts compared to what many free agents with half his talent are getting

bears got a great deal there

[RashanGary]

That's the first good deal I've seen. I know we have two really good LB's already but for that price, in this market, I would have taken a third.

[Brando19]

www.profootballtalk.com

Last year, Bears linebacker Lance Briggs was determined to get out of Chicago. He wanted to step out of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher's shadow.

"I've talked to Brian about it," Briggs said a year ago. "I'm a competitor and I want the same thing he has. I've learned a lot from Brian as a player and a leader and I eventually want to be 'the man' somewhere. I want to be like him and have everything put on me too. Obviously I'll never be able to do that there.

"I've played my last snap for them. I'll never play another down for Chicago again."

And now, after playing plenty of snaps with Chicago in 2007, Briggs has opted to spend another six seasons there.

As first reported by Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times, Briggs has agreed to terms on a six-year, $36 million contract with the Bears.

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that the deal includes approximately $12 million in guaranteed money.

So why did Briggs return to Chicago? As one media insider explained it, he had no other takers.

[RashanGary]

So why did Briggs return to Chicago? As one media insider explained it, he had no other takers.

How does this happen? He's a really good player. Did he turn people off with his big mouth, his douche bag agent and dick head antics. He's a hell of a player. I just can't believe Corey Williams got more under the leverage of the franchise tag and Briggs only gets that on the unrestricted market. This really is shocking.

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

That's the first good deal I've seen. I know we have two really good LB's already but for that price, in this market, I would have taken a third.

I know I'm with you there. At that price I would have definitely given him a look. We could have made some package to keep the backers on the field most of the time. To bad.

[PaCkFan_n_MD]

45 mil for Justin Smith, but only 36 for Briggs?!?!? What the hell is that about.

[HarveyWallbangers]

That's the first good deal I've seen. I know we have two really good LB's already but for that price, in this market, I would have taken a third.

I thought Kawika Mitchell's deal was a good one. He had a good year, has talent, and only got a little over $3M/year.

[Lurker64]

45 mil for Justin Smith, but only 36 for Briggs?!?!? What the hell is that about.

I believe the market for Briggs was somewhat depressed by fears that he was essentially just a product of the Bears defensive system, and that he wouldn't produce anywhere near that level for a team that's looking to improve on defense (as opposed to a team that already has a strong defense.)

Considering that scouting departments for 31 NFL teams passed on him, there might be something to this.

[Partial]

I can't believe Briggs didn't get more than that. Wasn't he a UFA? ? ?

As I am sure you know, it all depends on how the contract is structured. Last year Adalius Thomas took a smaller contract to not uproot his family and one that he knew he'd see every dollar of.

edit - 12 mil guaranteed isn't super much. That's fairly surprising, but I doubt he'll ever get cut at that price.

[BF4MVP]

I don't know why he would want to go back there..They won't get anywhere with a talentless offense and a declining defense...

[pack4to84]

I believe after recent drafts the OLB are a dime a dozen specially for a cover 2 defense. Even some here thought we could have traded down and still got same talent of OLB the year we took Hawk. Recent big payday FA OLB haven't pan out with there new teams. LB can be had in a draft much like RB. Thats why no team trades high draft picks for a RB anymore.

[Guiness]

I'm reasonably shocked for a couple of reasons...

There was a lot of talk about HOW good he was, maybe even better than Urlacher. I thought some other team would try and pick him up! Sure, he lipped off, said he'd never play anther down, etc, but he didn't get into any real trouble, did he? Why would no one else give him the time of day? It's not like other talented headcases (JW!!!) don't get offers.

Assuming someone made a decent offer, after everything he said, I am surprised he would sign with them at all. Although, if he received a lesser offer from another team, I guess money talks and bullshit walks; and he went for the money.

So was all that talk just posturing?

[Bretsky]

I'm shocked as well

He signed for a deal that makes it look like we overpaid for Nick Barnett. Don't get me wrong, I was and am all for the Barnett deal.

But Bernard Berrian just got paid more than Lance Briggs :?:

The only thing I can think of is maybe he was known to be a bad locker room influence; GM's IMO are starting to value good people more when offering up the big bucks.