The Monday after the end of a playoff-less football season is never a happy time. Players clean out their lockers, say their goodbyes and, for many, wonder if they will get another chance to make an impression in the NFL. Lance Briggs isn't one of those players. He knows that when training camp begins he'll be one of the highest-paid players in the sport, he just doesn't know who is going to be signing his checks. Briggs is going to be on the open market and Pro Bowl linebackers with 140 tackles do well in such situations. His current teammates seem resigned to a Briggs-less 2008 in Chicago because they don't believe that the Bears will open their wallet to bring him back.
Brian Urlacher - "I don't think he'll be here. I don't think the Bears will pay him what he wants."It's a tough spot for the Bears. They've got a lot of holes that need patching and only so much money to spend on one player. Losing Briggs obviously hurts the defense but $7.25 million could do a lot to help the offense. Spent wisely, Briggs' money could land two or three players who make the Bears better in 2008. It's asking a lot of Jerry Angelo to do that but new years can mean new beginnings.
Adewale Ogunleye - "No matter what offer the Bears give Lance, there's going to be another team that's probably going to give a better deal than that."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-01-2008 @ 11:20AM
TJ said...
Briggs is selfish as so many of the elite NFL.
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1-01-2008 @ 1:54PM
Danny Stultz said...
The Bears could keep Lance Briggs by cutting other high paid non productive players to better deal with a new contract. Cedric Benson would be the first to go. He just takes up space in the locker room and on the bench. Brian Griese needs to go. Instead the Bears have made some of the dumbest moves in the last 2 years in trading or just letting great players go. The Offensive line needs to be let go. Except for Olin, still one of the best. The rest are washed up and are one reason for the teams poor showing. Rex Grossman has not lived up to his expectations either. Granted he had no protection, but when he did he made many poor judgements and threw passes that even an old man like me could easily pick off. He needs to go. If the Bears are going to have any success next year they need to do whatever they can to resign Briggs shore up the Offensive line, and hopefully pick up a good quarterback on the market. If Mike Brown is not going to be 100% come spring camp he needs to go. He is a great player but has missed the bulk of the last 3 years. That too would open up money needed to revamp the team. Losing Briggs could be even worse than losing Brian Urlacher. Both of these players are 2 of the best in the NFL. Keeping Benson and trading Jones was one of the biggest mistakes Coach Smith has ever made since coming to the Bears. Keeping Briggs and shoring up the Offensive line, and finding another QB could turn next season around.
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1-01-2008 @ 2:06PM
LB said...
TJ, how is he selfish for wanting to get paid what he is worth?????
The defense will miss him.
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1-01-2008 @ 2:12PM
Rusty said...
hi, my name is danny stultz, and i think signing briggs is as easy as cutting a few high paid players. i've also never heard of this thing called the salary cap. and i've never heard that TJ wanted out of chicago, and that jerry angelo promised him that if he would play one more year, he'd find a trade that suits him. but it's cool, in my myopic worldview, everything makes sense.
go bears!
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1-01-2008 @ 8:28PM
terpsez11 said...
they say the Skins still like briggs..w/ Rocky MacIntosh out for 2008 with an acl..we'll have to see..Godfrey is doing a great job..and HB Blades
has a future..I'd like a few other pieces instead of a guy who was a part of a team that did a 180
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