[CBFF] Berrian eyes more than Bears have offered :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bears - Sent Using Google Toolbar

[Tom Shannon]

Berrian eyes more than Bears have offered :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bears

Berrian eyes more than Bears have offered
 Free agency starts tonight, with receiver seeking Branch-like deal


February 28, 2008
BY BRAD BIGGS bbiggs at suntimes.com

Here's the bottom line for the Bears' attempt to re-sign wide receiver
Bernard Berrian: Their most recent offer -- $8 million in bonus money
in a five-year, $25 million package -- wasn't enough to get a deal
done.

Free agency begins at 11 tonight, and Berrian is seeking a payday well
in excess of that -- $24.5 million in the first three years of a
contract -- though general manager Jerry Angelo last week called the
Bears' offers to Berrian and linebacker Lance Briggs ''aggressive.''

» Click to enlarge image
Bears wide receiver Bernard Berrian
(AP)


RELATED STORIES Blog: Updates from Inside the Bears


It's unknown how much room the Bears have to improve that offer for
Berrian, who is expected to be courted by the Minnesota Vikings. It's
also unclear whether Berrian and agent Drew Rosenhaus will be able to
get another team -- the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Oakland
Raiders and San Francisco 49ers also are thought to be interested --
to meet his asking price, which probably would require a signing bonus
of more than $12 million.

Berrian is aiming to top the six-year, $39 million deal former Super
Bowl MVP Deion Branch received from the Seattle Seahawks last fall.
That contract pays Branch $23 million in the first three years.

If the Bears don't step up and retain Berrian, it might create a
scramble at Halas Hall to replace him with some experience on the
depth chart. Angelo has said the focus of the team's offseason is to
invest in its own players, and the Bears' success will be judged on
their ability to keep Berrian and Briggs.

The Arizona Cardinals' Bryant Johnson doesn't have the speed the Bears
would need in a replacement for Berrian. The Bears haven't shown
interest in Marty Booker. The Jacksonville Jaguars traded for Troy
Williamson to replace Ernest Wilford, so that shows what they think of
Wilford.

The Houston Texans' Andre Davis fits the speed profile but has yet to
put together a season like Berrian. Then there are castoffs such as
the Jets' Justin McCareins, the Washington Redskins' Brandon Lloyd and
the Kansas City Chiefs' Eddie Kennison, an ex-Bear.

Briggs is thought to be seeking $20 million guaranteed in a deal that
will average more than $7 million annually. The Redskins tried to
trade for him last year, but they reportedly are tightening their belt
when it comes to free agency, perhaps the result of busting out on a
few too many players.

The 49ers have been linked to Briggs since last fall. The Tampa Bay
Buccaneers reportedly have $44 million in cap space, and the Cardinals
could use an impact defensive player.

The Bears sent qualifying offers Wednesday to wide receiver Rashied
Davis and safety Brandon McGowan, both restricted free agents. Davis
was tendered at the low level of $927,000, and because he was not a
draft pick, any team signing him to an offer sheet would not have to
give the Bears a pick if the Bears opted not to match. He might be a
good fit in San Francisco, where offensive coordinator Mike Martz is
looking for multiple receivers.

It's unknown if the Bears tendered McGowan at $927,000 or at the
intermediate level of $1.417 million, which would provide them with
right of first refusal and a second-round pick as compensation. No
team is going to swap a second-rounder for McGowan, but he might
generate interest at the low level, considering he also was an
undrafted free agent and the Bears would have only right of first
refusal on an offer sheet.

The New York Giants' Gibril Wilson might be the most talented safety
available in a thin free-agent market. Angelo called the class of
safeties in the draft ''anemic.''