Bears, Smith agree on 5 year deal

[Brando19]

The Bears and Smith have agreed to a new five-year deal. The team is expected to make an announcement and have a press conference Thursday.
Smith was heading into the final year of the deal he signed when he joined the Bears and it grossly underpaid him at about $1.4 million. The new deal gives him a major, major bump in pay and puts him on the level of guys like John Fox, Jeff Fisher and other top-tiered coaches.

Smith's contract situation had been an issue all year long and shortly before the playoffs began, the Bears coach told FOXSports.com that he did not want to have any contract talks until the team's season was over.

There were rumors that the Bears had offered Smith a deal that averaged less than $3 million per year but those rumors were incorrect. They were far apart but not as far the last few weeks as many believed. Then last week his agent said there was a stalemate between the two sides. That stalemate, however, was bridged.

[red]

shit

[packers11]

shit

well... atleast the players are telling the FA's to stay away...

[gbpackfan]

They were. Not anymore.

[esoxx]

This can't be. I thought the Bears were imploding and doomed for failure. I for one refuse to underestimate our most dangerous divisional foe going into this next season.

[RashanGary]

I'll be it's a groud breaking deal. The amount of money that was being negotiated was bound to take some time. I was one of the few people that never ripped the Bears for that negotiation. I'm sure Lovie was pushing the envelope trying to get every penny possible.

[BallHawk]

Well, hopefully they'll still find a way to lose.

[Scott Campbell]

You had to know it would get done sooner or later. Nobody is that stupid. Not even Matt Millen. They were kind enough to air a little dirty laundry and give us message board fodder for a few weeks.

Just remember - the Bears still suck.

[Rastak]

From PFT.com:



BEARS SHOW SMITH SOME LOVIE

Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that the Chicago Bears have signed coach Lovie Smith to a four-year extension, through 2011.

Per Glazer, the deal is worth $22.5 million over four years, which works out to an average of $5.5 million per year. It's unclear whether and to what extent Smith received a raise over his $1.45 million salary for 2007.

We'd previously heard that the Bears offered Smith less than $3.2 million per year. Peter King recently mentioned in his MMQB column that the number was in the neighborhood of $3.5 million.

A year ago, Smith's agent declared that the two sides were at impasse. Obviously, something happened to break the impasse. With rampant rumors of veteran players who were committed to scaring off potential free agents, perhaps the team realized that it was time to offer Smith fair value.

With the deal set to be formally announced on the eve of the launch of the free-agency period, the timing is, at a minimum, one hell of a coincidence.

[Charles Woodson]

This can't be. I thought the Bears were imploding and doomed for failure. I for one refuse to underestimate our most dangerous divisional foe going into this next season.

we are in the nfc north, with the Lions and Queens, i dont think the bears have much of a contest for our biggest foe

[esoxx]

This can't be. I thought the Bears were imploding and doomed for failure. I for one refuse to underestimate our most dangerous divisional foe going into this next season.

we are in the nfc north, with the Lions and Queens, i dont think the bears have much of a contest for our biggest foe

Exactly, that's my point.

Foolish to assume they're swirling the drain.

[Kiwon]

No brainer for them.

[GBRulz]

Would this deal would make him the highest paid coach in the NFL?

[]{ilr]3]

Would this deal would make him the highest paid coach in the NFL?

Far from it. Holmgren makes somewhere near 8.5 million I think!

[CaptainKickass]

this is news?