Bears Blitz

Published by Bob Warja on August 30, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Ever since the lockout ended, Bears fans have been inundated with stories about how much Matt Forte is underpaid and deserves an extension. And now comes word that Lance Briggs wants to re-do his contract as well.

While both players are integral components of the Bears’ success, one guy is deserving, but unreasonable, while the other doesn’t have a leg to stand on, in my opinion.

That’s because in Forte’s case, his agent is asking for the moon. And with Briggs, it’s a bad time to bring this up, as it could be a distraction to the team as it prepares to start the season in just a couple of weeks.

Don’t get me wrong—by almost any standard, Forte is underpaid. But that’s not the problem. Heck, GM Jerry Angelo would be happy to shell out an extension with a $15-18 million bonus.

But in the past two weeks, the entire market has changed. The signing of DeAngelo Williams has apparently given Forte and his agent ammunition to ask for double the amount that the Bears are willing to give him.

And that’s just plain wrong for two reasons.

First, Forte is not an unrestricted free agent like Williams was. The Bears are not competing with anyone for his services, so they should not have to shell out that kind of coin.

Second, Forte is worth more to the Bears than he is to any other team. What I’m saying is that, while he is a solid back, he is not one of the top three or four running backs in the NFL.

So he shouldn’t expect to get paid like one.

Does he deserve more money? Well, he signed a rookie deal that, at the time, was fair for the former second-round draft pick. So, some may feel that he in unjustified in wanting more money. 

But not this writer.

Actually, I agree the Bears should give him an extension. In fact, so do the Bears themselves. It’s the amount that is holding back an agreement.

The difference between he and Briggs is that Forte is still operating under a rookie deal while Briggs signed his after testing the free-agent market.

There is no doubt that Forte has leverage because he is such a huge part of this offense. But when comparing his production to the top backs in the NFL, he does not quite stack up to the very best.

Now, as for Briggs, this one smacks of jealousy to me. The Bears agreed to re-work Brian Urlacher’s contract in 2008, so Briggs thinks his deal, which was fine at the time, should be changed.

But the Urlacher situation was different in two ways.

Urlacher was the face of the franchise, a better player and a year younger at the time of the contract than Briggs is today. He is a certain Hall of Famer while Briggs is very, very good, but not quite in Urlacher’s class, in my opinion.

But that opinion is somewhat subjective. Yet, regardless of value and what you may believe, the timing is awful.

Asking for a raise while threatening to walk in the offseason if that doesn’t happen is causing an unnecessary and unneeded distraction at a critical time for the Bears.

Say what you will about the Bears being cheap—and yes, we all know about the man-hole-sized nickles they throw around—the front office has been very busy this year due to the lockout.

I feel this is a ploy by Briggs because his agent recognizes that the Bears are under the salary floor, so, like many teams, they will be looking to extend their own players.

But when Briggs signed a six-year, $36 million deal in 2008, it was a fair deal. He is scheduled to make $3.9 million this season (including bonuses), which is low for a player of his caliber, but it was a front-loaded deal like almost all NFL contracts.

I wonder if Briggs would be giving money back to the Bears if he was underperforming?

To give in to Briggs’ demand would set a dangerous precedent for the Bears. What happens if Jay Cutler has a breakout year this season and demands more money?

Look, I understand football is not like other major sports. Careers are often much shorter and just the signing-bonus money in contracts are guaranteed.

But both players are being unreasonable, and I don’t blame the Bears if they stick to their guns. To do otherwise would be shooting themselves in the foot.

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