Lance Briggs Re-signs with the Bears

bigbuc · 03-01-2008, 01:43 PM

Anything at all???

Crickett · 03-01-2008, 01:45 PM

He wants a lot of money.

Flyboy · 03-01-2008, 01:48 PM

Last I heard, it's between the Bears and Saints.

ATLDirtyBirds · 03-01-2008, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyboy

Last I heard, it's between the Bears and Saints.

Let's go Bears!

WinslowBodden · 03-01-2008, 01:49 PM

COME TO CLEVELAND PLEASE!!!!!

I like Lance... alot........ ;)

A Perfect Score · 03-01-2008, 01:50 PM

i am gunna throw out a darkhorse and say that he signs with the broncos...i can see him playing mike there, with DJ Williams sliding back to will where he excelled now that gold has been released...

Bills2083 · 03-01-2008, 01:51 PM

I thought he was going to talk to the Bucs?

Sveen · 03-01-2008, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyboy

Last I heard, it's between the Bears and Saints.

It is?! I have been at work for the last 9-10 hours, so I didn't catch this. Would be amazing if we could get him :)

SaintsFanForLife · 03-01-2008, 01:55 PM

I would love this move..Just pay the man..Him and Vilma togeather would be so money

TigerBait45 · 03-01-2008, 02:27 PM

Holy crap yes.

Sveen · 03-01-2008, 02:29 PM

Anyone got a link to an article about the Saints being interested in Briggs?

Smokey Joe · 03-01-2008, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sveen

Anyone got a link to an article about the Saints being interested in Briggs?

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/footb...bear01.article

CC.SD · 03-01-2008, 02:34 PM

There was just a thread about Briggs and the Pats on the front page, but I didn't see it a second ago. Weird. I thought the guy had said he never wanted to play in a 3-4.

He would be an amazing fit next to Vilma, I must admit. If the Saints added Ellis from the draft and picked up two absolute stud linebackers...they would only have to fix their atrocious secondary to have a great D.

Flyboy · 03-01-2008, 02:34 PM

Quote:

For all the talk about the Bears low-balling their free agents, 24 hours into free agency it looked like they were right on the money.

Wide receiver Bernard Berrian visited Minnesota on Friday but has yet to sign a contract, an indication the Vikings were not outbidding the Bears. Berrian is scheduled to travel to Oakland today.

The market for three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs seems to have all but evaporated. Briggs has a big-money contract on the table from the Bears, and it looked late Friday night as if the New Orleans Saints could be the only team left to bid against them.

It's believed Briggs has yet to schedule a visit. Sources close to the negotiations said reports he was headed to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren't correct. It wouldn't make a lot of sense for the Bucs, with linebackers Cato June and Derrick Brooks in the fold, to throw top dollar at a third player ideally suited for the weak side.

Washington doesn't have the money to bid for Briggs, and San Francisco fell out of the running when it signed Dontarrious Thomas. Cleveland and the New York Jets are believed to be out of the hunt, leaving the Saints, who traded for Jonathan Vilma on Friday, as the only serious contender at this point. New Orleans, which will play Vilma in the middle, might have the money to retool its defense by adding Briggs on the weak side.

The Bears desperately want at least one of the players back. At this point, one source called it a 50/50 possibility that both could return, with the organization armed with $20 million in available cap room.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/footb...bear01.article

Quote:

The Saints might be making a play for Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs, according to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times. To our knowledge, Briggs has not scheduled a visit to New Orleans. But the Sun-Times speculated that the Saints could be Chicago's stiffest competition in the Briggs market.
Other national media reports have mentioned New Orleans as a possible destination for the 27-year-old Pro Bowler, but there has been no concrete evidence of that so far.

That Briggs market has been surprisingly quiet in the first days of free agency. Two teams thought to be in the running - San Francisco and Tampa Bay - don't seem to be aggressively pursuing him at this point.
Of course, that all could change at a moment's notice if someone offers him the type of deal that linebacker Adalius Thomas signed in New England last year (five years, $35 million).

http://blog.nola.com/saintsbeat/2008...or_briggs.html

Flyboy · 03-01-2008, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChargerCohen

There was just a thread about Briggs and the Pats on the front page, but I didn't see it a second ago. Weird. I thought the guy had said he never wanted to play in a 3-4.

He would be an amazing fit next to Vilma, I must admit. If the Saints added Ellis from the draft and picked up two absolute stud linebackers...they would only have to fix their atrocious secondary to have a great D.

I still don't think we have a legit chance for Ellis or Dorsey (if he falls) unless we trade up. Cincy wanted Shaun Rogers and I think they will take Ellis right before us unless we move up. I think with the tenth pick we'll take either McKelvin or DRC - Sean Payton seems to have a woody for small schoolers.

Sveen · 03-01-2008, 02:37 PM

Nice. I really hope we can get a deal done with him :)

TigerBait45 · 03-01-2008, 02:41 PM

I could live with DRC.

Nitschke-Hawk · 03-01-2008, 02:44 PM

I wouldn't be surprised if New England was interested though. They need an inside linebacker bad. And Briggs would give them a lot of flexibity if they run a 4-3 sometimes. He's a 3 down linebacker also.

CC.SD · 03-01-2008, 02:47 PM

DRC would be a good fit with the Saints I feel. I actually think they should consider, per a certain damnable pundit, Kentwan Balmer. You line a guy with that kind of size and athleticism next to Grant and Smith, you could see some great things.

bearsfan_51 · 03-01-2008, 02:51 PM

Yeah I've been saying New England for a while. I don't know if they are interested, but it would make some sense.

At the end of the day I actually think he will end up back in Chicago, which is stunning to me. The Saints are out there, but I just don't think they budgeted the 20-25 million in bonus money it's going to take to get him away from the Bears. That's the thing about FA. Most teams have a clear idea of how much they have and how much they are going to spend. The fact that the Saints have brought in nobody big other than Vilma (who will get an extension), and the resigning of their own players, says to me that they are likely in the process of re-doing the numbers to see if there is 20 million sitting around somewhere. I don't see it.

The Broncos are another team that has essentially done nothing this offseason, and reports are that Pat Bowlen has decided that Shanny has burnt him on FA too much in the last few years and is not interesting. I don't see it.

The Bucs rumor is apparently false. If it's not false I think they are actually the front-runners, as they have the allocated money sitting right there. I just don't think they are ready to make that move either though. I don't see them pushing Derrick Brooks out the door, which is what it will take.

Cleveland has already spent a ton of money this offseason after saying they weren't going to. If you look at their activity over the last three years I think they have all but dried up their well. Sticking with Jackson, Davis, and Williams in the middle seems much more likely.

Which leaves some outside teams. Even Briggs himself said he doesn't think the Niners are in it anymore. The Lions should be in it but don't appear to be. Ditto the Giants. Maybe the Redskins change their minds and get back in it for the same deal they offered last year. I dunno.

In the end I think he'll sit around for a few more days, maybe visit with New Orleans, and hope that there is a team that will give him the 25 mil up front he wants. I don't think it will happen, and I think he comes back to Chicago for a deal similar to what Peanut Tillman got last year (around 18 mil in guarantees).

Flyboy · 03-01-2008, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChargerCohen

DRC would be a good fit with the Saints I feel. I actually think they should consider, per a certain damnable pundit, Kentwan Balmer. You line a guy with that kind of size and athleticism next to Grant and Smith, you could see some great things.

Keep Balmer the hell away from our team at 10.