Pixote Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 A good sign, we will be busy signing rookies over the next few weeks! Article from Chicago Tribune Bears close to signing 3rd-rd. pick By Vaughn McClure, 3:59 p.m. Third-round pick Marcus Harrison is on the verge of signing a four-year deal with the Bears, an NFL source said Monday. The deal is expected to be finalized within the next 24 hours. Harrison, a defensive tackle from Arkansas, could provide a spark as a backup on the interior of the defensive line this coming season. He had first-round potential, but an arrest and ACL injury caused the rookie to drop. Harrison is projected as a future starter. Once Harrison signs, the Bears will have four unsigned rookies remaining: tackle Chris Williams (first round), running back Matt Forte (second), receiver Earl Bennett (third), and defensive back Zackary Bowman (fifth). The Bears drafted 12 players. Williams vowed not to be a training camp holdout, while Forte could be rewarded in his deal for taking over the starting role, with Cedric Benson gone. The Bears start training camp July 23 in Bourbonnais. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted June 30, 2008 Report Share Posted June 30, 2008 I have a feeling it'll be a domino effect... The rooks sign, then we move to Hester, then Urlacher... A good sign, we will be busy signing rookies over the next few weeks! Article from Chicago Tribune Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixote Posted July 1, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 I have a feeling it'll be a domino effect... The rooks sign, then we move to Hester, then Urlacher... I hope you are right. We have a good record of getting all rookies into camp on time. The last few years we have had all our rookies signed before any other team came close. If we get them all signed and then sign Urlacher & Hester to deals that will make both of them happy going into the season, wow, we will be in great shape. With those 2 signed, we will be in one of the best contractual situations of the league, with every established player of value recently signed to new contracts or extensions. This will be huge in the near futre when others are struggling to sign and keep their key players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfoligno Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 The only one I am at all concerned w/ (and that is relative) is Forte. Williams is set to start, and will seek a nice sized contract, but w/ his draft spot, that would have been offered anyway. Forte though is expected to start, and 2nd round deals are not that great. He, IMHO, would have a more legit argument that the expectations for him are greater than his draft slot contract we are likely to offer. Its one thing when a 2nd round pick (or later) steps up and surprisingly takes a starting job, but we flat out are planning for him to be our starting RB, and thus I can see his seeking more compensation than would otherwise be normal. So while I do not see problems signing Williams, or Bennett, I do see the potential for issues w/ Forte. Does anyone know who Forte's agent is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connorbear Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 I hope you are right. We have a good record of getting all rookies into camp on time. The last few years we have had all our rookies signed before any other team came close. If we get them all signed and then sign Urlacher & Hester to deals that will make both of them happy going into the season, wow, we will be in great shape. With those 2 signed, we will be in one of the best contractual situations of the league, with every established player of value recently signed to new contracts or extensions. This will be huge in the near futre when others are struggling to sign and keep their key players. I would be very careful with Hester's contract. Personally, I would like to see more from him at WR before giving him big money. They should wait until after the season before extending him. Peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 He could also break the bank if he excels... I think his contract should be re-done. I'm still honestly not sure how to... But given what he has accomplished, he has earned more money and deserves it. I would be very careful with Hester's contract. Personally, I would like to see more from him at WR before giving him big money. They should wait until after the season before extending him. Peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connorbear Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 He could also break the bank if he excels... I think his contract should be re-done. I'm still honestly not sure how to... But given what he has accomplished, he has earned more money and deserves it. The problem is he is most likely wanting to be paid as a top flight receiver which he hasn't shown up to this point. That is why I would wait. Peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 It's really all speculation at this point... I assume any agent will ask for the world. But, you've got to think JA will offer a fair contract. I'd like to see him do it now vs waiting... If there's one guy I want to see a Bear for life besides Url, Tommie and Mike Brown, it's Hester. The problem is he is most likely wanting to be paid as a top flight receiver which he hasn't shown up to this point. That is why I would wait. Peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balta1701-A Posted July 1, 2008 Report Share Posted July 1, 2008 It's really all speculation at this point... I assume any agent will ask for the world. But, you've got to think JA will offer a fair contract. I'd like to see him do it now vs waiting... If there's one guy I want to see a Bear for life besides Url, Tommie and Mike Brown, it's Hester. One other little issue...if they sign Hester, they may well structure the deal in such a way that it eats up most of their remaining cap room this year (And thus puts as much as possible on this year, leaving space for the future.) That's exactly what they did with Tillman and Vasher last year, and for the month of October the Bears had the least amount of cap room in the league until you could sign people on to the 08 cap starting in November. While this is an excellent strategy...it has one flaw...if you use up all of your cap room by July, August, or even early September, you've left yourself little room to sign a player somewhere should someone get hurt in training camp or should there be an unexpected cut from another team that fills a hole on your roster. In other words, I think you go back in September or early October and that's the time we might expect to see Hester extended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 Thanks for the info! One other little issue...if they sign Hester, they may well structure the deal in such a way that it eats up most of their remaining cap room this year (And thus puts as much as possible on this year, leaving space for the future.) That's exactly what they did with Tillman and Vasher last year, and for the month of October the Bears had the least amount of cap room in the league until you could sign people on to the 08 cap starting in November. While this is an excellent strategy...it has one flaw...if you use up all of your cap room by July, August, or even early September, you've left yourself little room to sign a player somewhere should someone get hurt in training camp or should there be an unexpected cut from another team that fills a hole on your roster. In other words, I think you go back in September or early October and that's the time we might expect to see Hester extended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DABEARSDABOMB Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 He could also break the bank if he excels... I think his contract should be re-done. I'm still honestly not sure how to... But given what he has accomplished, he has earned more money and deserves it. The reality is regardless he's going to get a big contract. The question is do you give it to him now (since part of the reason he'll get such a big contract is because he's going to be at WR) or do you at least wait a season to see if he proves himself or shows flashes (at which point it will cost more, but if he doesn't pan out you aren't totally screwed). I could see a lot of value in waiting another year, but JA better communicate things very well with Devon and make sure he's on the same page (and essentially present things that way so if he signs today we are talking about a fair deal based on what he's accomplished and some sort of projection but if he waits he could get a deal similar to Bernard Berrians). Either way, Angelo is very good at this part of the business and I have no doubt he'll do the right thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 Let the love shine through! Give him the money now! ...and I do think that's what JA will end up doing. The reality is regardless he's going to get a big contract. The question is do you give it to him now (since part of the reason he'll get such a big contract is because he's going to be at WR) or do you at least wait a season to see if he proves himself or shows flashes (at which point it will cost more, but if he doesn't pan out you aren't totally screwed). I could see a lot of value in waiting another year, but JA better communicate things very well with Devon and make sure he's on the same page (and essentially present things that way so if he signs today we are talking about a fair deal based on what he's accomplished and some sort of projection but if he waits he could get a deal similar to Bernard Berrians). Either way, Angelo is very good at this part of the business and I have no doubt he'll do the right thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connorbear Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 One other little issue...if they sign Hester, they may well structure the deal in such a way that it eats up most of their remaining cap room this year (And thus puts as much as possible on this year, leaving space for the future.) That's exactly what they did with Tillman and Vasher last year, and for the month of October the Bears had the least amount of cap room in the league until you could sign people on to the 08 cap starting in November. While this is an excellent strategy...it has one flaw...if you use up all of your cap room by July, August, or even early September, you've left yourself little room to sign a player somewhere should someone get hurt in training camp or should there be an unexpected cut from another team that fills a hole on your roster. In other words, I think you go back in September or early October and that's the time we might expect to see Hester extended. Yet another wait until the end of the season to extend his contract. Look, he has 2 yrs left on his contract. The Bears are going to take care of him. JA has a very good track record of taking care of his own players. The only one I can think of that got away was Berrian. This is not going to be an issue. Peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ54 Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 Losing Berrian wouldn't be that big of a deal IF we had any other receivers on our roster that we could count on. I think Berrian's numbers were inflated simply because he was the best option we had. It's not that I didn't want him on the team rather he's just not worth $8mil/yr. He will be a good WR for years to come but I don't think he'll ever earn that salary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASHKUM BEAR Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 Hester is gonna have to wait for his money. He has two years left on his contract and the only Chicago Bear that received a contract extension 2 years or more before was Urlacher. It also doesn't benefit the Bears to extend him this year even if he does explode into the WR we envision him to. If we sign him now, then 2 years from now will either be overpaying for a KR or dealing with an unhappy #1 WR. I'd rather have Hester pissed off this year, prove to the Bears he can play offense by understanding the plays, running clean routes, and catching everything in sight. This will be his carrot. We always bitch about not providing competition, giving a player a postion without a fight, etc. I see this the same way. Make Hester earn his big pay day and we'll all be happy. I do love Hester and know he is now underpaid, if he proves it on the field I can see JA taking care of him mid-season as long as it's not a distraction (kind of like TO and the Cowboys) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason Posted July 2, 2008 Report Share Posted July 2, 2008 It's really all speculation at this point... I assume any agent will ask for the world. But, you've got to think JA will offer a fair contract. I'd like to see him do it now vs waiting... If there's one guy I want to see a Bear for life besides Url, Tommie and Mike Brown, it's Hester. Agreed. I would HATE to see Url, Tommie, Mike Brown, or Hester in anything other than a Bears jersey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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