[CBFF] Lions sign Redding to monster deal

[Steve Behrens]

Harris' injury may have silver lining after all.....  it has to impact
his contract in favore of the Bears to *some* degree.

-Behr



On 7/16/07, Jerry Madsen <jerrywm at gmail.com> wrote:
> How much more will it now take the Bears to sign Tommie Harris?
>
> Jerry
>
> -------------------------------
>
> Monday, July 16, 2007
> Lions sign Redding to monster deal before franchise-player deadline
> By John Clayton
> ESPN.com
>
> Last year, Rod Marinelli moved Cory Redding from defensive end to
> defensive tackle in the belief he could be one of the best defensive
> tackles in football.
>
> Cory Redding
> Redding
>
> Defensive Tackle
> Detroit Lions
>
> Profile
> 2006 Season Stats Tot   Solo    Ast     FF      Sack    Int
> 48      39      9       2       8       0
>
> On Monday, the Lions backed up that belief by making him the
> highest-paid defensive tackle in football. Redding, the team's
> franchise player in 2007, agreed to a seven-year, $49 million contract
> that included $16 million in guarantees, including $13 million in
> signing bonus and roster guarantees.
>
> Redding will receive a little more than $20 million over the first
> three years of his contract.
>
> Redding's agreement beat a 4 p.m. Monday deadline for franchise
> players. Had he not reached an agreement, Redding would have been
> forced to only accept a one-year deal with no chance of an extension
> until next season. Under those circumstances, Redding might have held
> out the entire training camp.
>
> Now, he will be present for the start of camp and will work with Shaun
> Rogers in what Marinelli believes will be one of the more dominating
> interior defensive lines in football.
>
> Redding's agent, Kennard McGuire, was unavailable for comment while he
> worked out the final paperwork to submit to the league before the
> deadline.
>
> Initially, Redding wanted to hit the free-agent market and leave the
> team. Marinelli and the organization decided to franchise him and try
> to talk him into taking a long-term deal. Last Monday, both sides had
> a major breakthrough in negotiations when the Lions came within
> $400,000 a year of Redding's demands.
>
> Talks slowed down last Friday and Saturday and the possibility of no
> long-term deal existed. On Monday morning, the Lions increased their
> offer and signed him for $7 million a year.
>
> The Redding deal tops the five-year, $33.24 million contract given to
> Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams.
>
> The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Redding was taken in the third round of the
> 2002 draft and started nine games as a defensive end as a rookie. In
> the past three years, he had 48 starts. Last year, he had career highs
> in tackles (47) and sacks (eight).
>
> Senior writer John Clayton covers the NFL for ESPN.com.
>
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