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ChicagoSports.com: Bears able to keep Briggs in fold





 /sports/football/bears/cs-080301-lance-briggs-chicago-bears,1,7567801.story
Bears able to keep Briggs in fold
 Linebacker says Berrian departure a key factor
 By Vaughn McClure
 Tribune staff reporter

 March 1, 2008, 10:42 PM CST

 As Bernard Berrian sported his new Vikings purple Saturday night,
Lance Briggs made sure the Bears weren't left feeling blue.

 The Pro Bowl linebacker agreed to a six-year, $36 million deal to
remain a Bear a couple of hours after his buddy Berrian received $16
million guaranteed to sign with Minnesota.

 "I didn't think I was going to be a Chicago Bear. I actually thought
I was headed to Washington," Briggs said from his home in Arizona. "At
the last minute, my agent (Drew Rosenhaus) told me we had a deal with
the Bears. We talked for a while, and I told him this was the deal
that made sense.

 "I'm not greedy. I'm not trying to knock something out of the park.
All I wanted was what's fair. If it's fair, I'm happy."

 The Bears upped their initial offer to Briggs on Friday, giving him a
sense that a return to Chicago was possible. Briggs wasn't absolutely
certain until early Saturday evening.

 "Things were under wraps with my agent," Briggs said. "There was a
lot of recruiting from the coaches. It just got to a point where my
agent was hands-on. He did what he does."

 Briggs declined to discuss how much money he received up front, but
the deal likely was less than he initially expected when he hit the
open market as an unrestricted free agent. His options narrowed as
teams swallowed up less expensive linebackers. But the Bears became
the best option as their budget suddenly expanded.

 "I do think one of the most important factors was Bernard signing
with Minnesota," Briggs said. "You figure if you have four top players
and one of the top players you're trying to keep signs with someone
else, obviously you've got more money allotted to go to other players.
And then you can make a better deal with someone else."

 Briggs initially thought he was headed to San Francisco.

 "They kind of backed off me right before free agency," he said. "My
idea was to put myself and Patrick Willis together and go play ball.
I've been around one great linebacker [ Brian Urlacher]. I know the
importance of two great linebackers being around each other.

 "But with the contract the 49ers gave end Justin Smith (reportedly
six years, $45 million), I thought [that] was similar to what they
would have worked out with me."

 Briggs said New Orleans was in the mix until the Saints traded for
Jonathan Vilma of the New York Jets. Tampa Bay also was in the
picture.

 "They definitely showed some interest," Briggs said of the
Buccaneers, "but the team that meant the most was Chicago."

 The Bears had a backup plan in case Briggs skipped town. Linebacker
Demorrio Williams from the Atlanta Falcons was due in town next week.
There is likely to be a change in plans.

 With Briggs back and defensive end Alex Brown signing a contract
extension, the Bears kept two crucial elements of the defense in
place. Discussions are taking place with Urlacher and Tommie Harris
about contract extensions.

 "I'm happy that he's back, and he's going to help us win a lot of
games, just like he's done in the past," Urlacher said upon learning
of Briggs' signing.

 As Briggs reflected on waiting around the last few days, he took a deep breath.

 "This is a business," he said. "If you look at it any other way,
you're going to hurt yourself. You're going to get your feelings hurt,
get your hopes up."

 vxmcclure at tribune.com

 Copyright (c) 2008, The Chicago Tribune