[CBFF] A square-off deal for Rex :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bears - Sent Using Google Toolbar

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A square-off deal for Rex :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bears

A square-off deal for Rex
For 1 year, $3 million, Grossman faces a fight with Orton to clear fog at QB


February 24, 2008
BY BRAD BIGGS bbiggs at suntimes.com

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ultimately, Rex Grossman might be the solution for the
Bears at quarterback.

Right now, the team is where it has been for more than a decade:
facing first down and forever to find a franchise passer.

» Click to enlarge image
Kyle Orton (left) is close to a two-year extension after Rex Grossman
re-signed Saturday.
(AP)


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But the hope is that a competition between Grossman and Kyle Orton can
lead the Bears down a path of discovery after Grossman agreed to a
one-year, $3 million deal Saturday that includes $2 million more in
incentives that are easily reachable, provided he's starting.

''We haven't solved it,'' general manager Jerry Angelo said. ''With
one-year deals, you're not solving anything. You're still in the hunt,
so to speak. We certainly feel good about the people that are
contending at the position, but it's not solved yet.''

A two-year extension for Orton is imminent and should be announced any
day. Then the Bears can refocus on linebacker Lance Briggs, wide
receiver Bernard Berrian and special-teamer Brendon Ayanbadejo, whom
agent Drew Rosenhaus said are headed to the marketplace.

Orton is to earn $520,000 this season in the final year of his rookie
contract. He has a 12-6 record as a starter and otherwise would be
headed to free agency with Grossman at this time next year. They are
expected to be the only contenders at quarterback, as agent Ralph
Cindrich expects Brian Griese to be released well before a $300,000
roster bonus is due March 4. The Bears are expected to draft a
quarterback in April.

Grossman knows the ground rules, and coach Lovie Smith said he already
has talked to Orton about the process. The Bears haven't had a
training-camp competition since 2001, when Jim Miller bested Shane
Matthews and ousted Cade McNown.

''I don't see [it being awkward] at all,'' Smith said. ''They're just
like any other position. Competition should be fierce this coming
offseason and all throughout the training camp and to the season.''

But it isn't like any other position because quarterback is more
integral to a team's success than any other on the field. Otherwise,
it wouldn't be worth tracking that the Bears have changed starting
quarterbacks 33 times in the last 137 regular-season games. It's a
vicious cycle they're stuck in.

''That's all you really need is a year,'' Smith said of Grossman
entering a contract year again. ''He's in a situation where he's
trying to prove himself. That's all you need to do for one year. He
knows what we have there. He knows who he is competing against. We're
excited, and he's excited.''

The Bears and Grossman's agent, Eugene Parker, discussed the
possibility of a two-year deal but decided one was best for both
sides. They neared an agreement late Friday night and hammered out a
deal before lunch that had Grossman excited enough that he called
offensive coordinator Ron Turner, who was in the stands of the RCA
Dome watching tight ends work out.

''I think he can be a very, very good player in this league,'' Turner
said. ''We've got to get better offensively, in all areas, to give him
a chance and to give us a chance. But I'm excited about him being
back.''