Once again, it’s interesting how things play out. Early last year Lance Briggs was saying he would do “everything that’s within his power” not to play for the Bears. Not only did he wind up signing a one-year deal with Chicago, but then he signed a multi-year deal recently. All the while stud linebacker Brian Urlacher was chilling with his multi-year, multi-million dollar contract he had signed years ago. Now, it’s Urlacher who became the malcontent saying he wanted a new deal. We even went so far as to suggest an Urlacher for Ocho Cinco trade. Looks like it won’t pan out.
Word out of Chicago now is that Urlacher’s breaking down and will actually report to the team’s mandatory three-day minicamp. I’m pretty surprised about this report given the way Urlacher was acting, making noise that he wanted a new deal. It’s a tough situation when you think about it; Brian Urlacher is one of the best linebackers in the league, yet his deal is somewhat out of date and he’s no longer paid like a top 5 LB. Urlacher knows his neck injury is lingering and that he doesn’t have much time left to make his money. He wants to get paid while he can. But he did sign a monster deal a while ago, becoming the franchise’s highest paid player. In reality, he should live up to it. That’s what happens when you sign longterm — your deal eventually becomes outdated. I feel for Urlacher, but I’m glad he’ll be reporting — that’s what he should be doing.
