[CBFF] Jerry growing on Jerry

[Ryan Dietzenbach]

2 straight division titles, a trip to the Super Bowl, a great outlook for
2007 and you're still not on board?

RD

On 7/3/07, Jerry Madsen <jerrywm at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> After reading ESPN's take on the Olsen signing, Jerry Angelo and his
> front office are really starting to grow on me.
>
> Then again, I once had a planter's wart grow on me, so we'll see how
> long this love-fest lasts.
>
> Jerry
>
> ----------
>
> Olsen, Bears work out unique five-year deal
> By Len Pasquarelli
> ESPN.com
> (Archive)
> Updated: July 3, 2007, 8:45 PM ET
>
> The Chicago Bears reached a contract agreement with top pick Greg
> Olsen, on Tuesday, making the former University of Miami tight end the
> initial first-round selection in the league to come to terms on his
> rookie contract.
>
>
> JC Ridley/WireImage.com
>
> Greg Olsen had 38 catches for 444 yards last season at Miami.
> And in striking the deal, agent Drew Rosenhaus and Bears negotiator
> Cliff Stein relied on a creative structure that could pave the way for
> other first-round signings.
>
> Olsen, the 31st player chosen overall in April, will sign a five-year
> contract with a maximum value of $10.696 million.
>
> Rosenhaus and Stein were able to overcome some hurdles presented by a
> recent ruling in a case involving former Denver first-round wide
> receiver Ashley Lelie, limiting the amount of bonus money which a
> franchise could attempt to recoup if a player defaulted on his
> contract.
>
> The contract will pay Olsen a signing bonus of $250,000 and a $720,000
> roster bonus in the first year, with a 2007 base salary of $285,000.
>
> In 2008, there is an option bonus of $3.545 million, and there are
> reporting bonuses of $100,000 in 2009, $140,000 in 2010 and $125,732
> in 2011. The base salaries in the deal, after the first season, are
> $370,000 (2008), $460,000 (2009), $550,000 (2010) and $650,000 (2011).
> Olsen can earn an additional $2.921 million in incentives and
> escalators and a one-time playing time incentive of $578,700.
>
> "It's a big relief, given that Greg has been with us throughout the
> offseason program," Bears general manager Jerry Angelo told the
> team-owned Web site on Tuesday night. "I mentioned to him and his
> family that he really built up a lot of good karma with the players
> and coaches [because of his attendance], and now this allows us to
> continue that momentum going into camp. When you don't get a deal
> done, or it drags into camp, all of that good will gets lost, and then
> it has to be rebuilt. So now, he can just continue to build on all the
> good things that he's done thus far and, obviously, we're excited
> about that."
>
> Olsen, 22, is the latest in a long line of former Miami standout tight
> ends, a group that includes Bubba Franks, Jeremy Shockey and Kellen
> Winslow, among others.
>
> In 33 games, including 26 starts, Olsen, who transferred to Miami from
> Notre Dame, posted 87 receptions for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns.
> Regarded as the top tight end prospect in the draft entering the
> combine workouts, he cemented his status with a superb audition for
> league scouts in Indianapolis.
>
> At 6-feet-5 7/8 and 254 pounds, Olsen was clocked in 4.51 seconds in
> the 40-yard dash, a time faster than that registered by most of the
> wide receivers at the combine. He also had a 35 ½-inch vertical jump
> and his overall athleticism enhanced his draft stock. Olsen has
> acknowledged that, like most young tight ends, he will need to upgrade
> his blocking skills, but the Bears are confident he will play quickly
> and add another key dimension to their passing attack.
>
> Chicago was the first team in the league to have all its draft choices
> under contract in each of the past two years. The agreement with Olsen
> leaves the Bears with just one of their nine picks this year,
> second-round defensive end Dan Bazuin of Central Michigan, without a
> deal in place.
>
> Most teams in the league have yet to commence substantive negotiations
> with their first-round draft choices.
>
> Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
>
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