adam

So we don't have a cap hit AND we get a draft pick. Pretty sweet.

It says he is in Tampa today?

I haven't seen it, but I am sure it was something about how he or his stats would have been better with a decent QB. Also, all those drops were not his fault, they were bad passes.

Mendenhall seems like the only option now with the question marks around Benson. Hopefully he is still around at 14.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3273710 Mendenhall is our only hope. EDIT: Didn't see the other thread in the Bears forum. Mods, merge or delete. Thx. Are we now putting any news in the main forum?

Yes I do. If that was the case, then hundreds of players would sit out every year if they played over what they felt their contracts were. Most holdouts occurred because the contracts were not even close to their production. In this case, if Anderson and Hester received modest raises from where they are at now, it would be hard for them to question that contract a year later. Now if they sign a 5 year deal, and play Pro-Bowl level for several years, then the two sides can relook the deals in a couple of years.

I believe anytime you can lock up a solid player into a longer contract, you do it. The market goes up every year. So to meet halfway, the team gets a decent number/years, and the player gets some guaranteed money. For Anderson and Hester. If they have monster years in 2008 before giving them extensions, then they will command much more compared to right now. Just think how much Hester would command in Free Agency.

Don't forget that we released Moose. So we lost our #1 and #2 receivers, our starting RB has lost a step, and we have 2 holes on our o-line. Sign Booker, Hackett, and an O-Lineman via FA. Then draft Mendenhall, OL, QB the first 3 rounds.

Berrian's best season is 71 receptions and 951 yards. What has he seriously proven? Marcus Robinson had 84 receptions and 1,400 yards for the Bears in 1999. Where is he now? There are two things Berrian is a top 10 Receiver in, salary and drops. More money than Briggs....hilarious.

It's amazing how this whole thing went full circle from offering a contract, to franchise tag, to almost being traded, to signing a 6yr deal for $36 million. That seems to be a great deal for the Bears.

Already posted here: http://www.talkbears.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1919 Also, its the Jets not the Giants.

Faneca agrees in principle to Jets deal of 4/$32. Ugh. The Bears should've matched that. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3271283

Nice to see NE getting weaker.

You don't think agents will use this as leverage? This guy was basically an unknown who just had knee surgery and he got $50 million with over $18 million in guarantees.

There is a thread about it here: http://www.talkbears.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1905

If Tommy Kelly can get $50 million over 7 years, what will Tommie Harris command? Kelly is now the highest paid DT. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AgXL...p&type=lgns

25 minutes. I wonder how many signings will happen overnight.

What makes no sense is if you are going to attempt to trade someone, why announce that you will release him anyway? You lose any leverage you might have.

I thought it would be a good idea to start a FA Tracker thread with the period opening tomorrow (or actually 11pm tonight). Here is one of many Trackers: http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfl/fa?bcsi_scan_...F/1kQEAAAAGMHAB

Why would a team trade for him when they can just sign him after the Bears release him? To beat other teams to the punch? Is he coveted that much?

Mend - en - hall!

As expected, Moose was signed by Carolina, but they also released Carr. Would we be interested in signing Carr as a backup instead of Griese? Carr played with Berrian at Fresno State and played pretty well together. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Aq0c...p&type=lgns

I believe it. It's professional sports.

It all depends on upfront money. The Bears still have room.

The only issue I have is if this will take away snaps from Olsen. This is nice insurance, but that seems to be more of a luxury - and can the Bears afford luxuries right now.