Briggs Signs Franchise Tag, Will Report To Camp On Time

Remember this past March when Lance Briggs said he would never play another down for the Bears? Yeah, way to stick to your guns, bro.

Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs, who'd threatened to sit out the season, agreed Wednesday to a one-year, $7.2 million deal with the Chicago Bears as the team's franchise player.

All that complaining for nothing, I guess. Really, Briggs had no other choice but to accept the Bears offer. As a former third round pick still working off his rookie contract, he hasn’t accumulated the kind of money to make sitting out the first ten games of the season a reality. Lance Briggs isn’t rich yet, he needs the $7 million the Bears are giving him this season. But Briggs did get something from the Bears in this contract: if he plays more then 75% of the snaps this season, the Bears cannot put the franchise tag on him again next season. The franchise tag is allowed to be used on the same player twice, two years in a row, but now if Briggs stays on the field, he won’t have to worry about it again next year.

I’m just glad Briggs came to his senses and signed this deal as quickly as he did. Missing training camp would have been a huge blow for him and the Bears, as no one is ready to see Jamar Williams in a starting role just yet. By signing the contract early, Briggs should position himself for a great season, which can only help the Bears. He should be having dollar signs in his eyes for every tackle, sack, interception, and Bears victory this season. Another pro bowl trip and he’ll probably be the most coveted free agent next offseason.

It’s pretty clear that Briggs isn’t in the Bears future plans, with the resigning of Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher, the eventual resigning of Tommie Harris, and the possible resigning of Rex Grossman, there just isn’t enough money to go around. If it were up to me, Briggs would stay, and one of the corners (preferably Vash Dog) would be on his way out, but the Bears have obviously chose to go in another direction. The thing I never understood is that the Bears got mad when Briggs rejected their offer last offseason because he felt it was under market value. Well the contract offer was under market value. The Bears had to know the price for a 26 year old, two time pro bowl linebacker is going to be pretty expensive. They acted like they were offended because they offered him a fair deal that he turned down, but really, the deal was never fair at all. The Bears obviously thought that if they couldn’t get him at a reduced price, they would rather lock up their corners, and maybe wide receiver Bernard Berrian, who broke out last season and is a free agent after this year.

So did Lance Briggs have something to be angry about this entire offseason? I think he did. That doesn’t mean he should have acted the way he did, going on ESPN and calling out the Bears front office, but Briggs does have legit beef. Well he won’t be in Chicago in 2008, but that’s the least of the Bears worries right now. They’re focused on winning a Super Bowl this season, and if they do, nothing else will matter.