Sir Lance wants a lot?

Man is that title bad...


Bears linebacker Lance Briggs has made it abundantly clear that he has no interest in continuing to be a Chicago Bear. It has been clear for the past couple of seasons that something wasn’t clicking between Briggs and the team, but until now no one had come right out and said something…
But Briggs did. He criticized the Bears “organization,” with out alienating his team mates and said he wants out of town. Though his candor comes as a surprise, his sentiments do not. Briggs has been angling for a long term deal for a while now, and the failure of the Bears and Brigg’s agent to come up with one will ultimately cost the team, and greatly benefit the player.
This off-season has seen money thrown around to anyone and everyone who happens to be in the vicinity. The two most relevant signings to Briggs at this point are the $35 million deal signed by new Patriot linebacker Adalius Thomas, (Thomas’s deal guarantees him $20 million.) and new Dolphins backer Joey Porter, who also signed a contract guaranteeing him $20 million. That will likely be the new starting point for a deal in the minds of Briggs and his agent.
The point is that the Bears can’t, and probably shouldn’t rap that much money in Briggs. With the kind of talent on the field that the Bears have to offer, plugging in another guy that can do a serviceable job shouldn’t be too difficult.
I hate it when players wine for more money. I hate it when they claim they are being underpaid. I hate it when franchised players hold out. However, in this case I can kind of, KIND OF, see Briggs’s point. The money is flowing ridiculously, and Briggs is not really under contract. Though I would prefer him to suck it up and make his millions with the team he has played for for seasons, I can some what understand the desire to lock up his financial situation for the rest of his life with guarantees exceeding $20 million.
SO where will Briggs end up?
My money is on Arizona at this point, they have the cap room to put a lot of money in to Brigg’s pocket quickly, and they could use the help on defense. Another possibility is San Francisco, though I think they are probably done spending at this point. Though I think the Bears should get a high price for Briggs, Their leverage has been damaged slightly by Brigg’s obvious desire to get out of town.
Just for fun how about this for a trade:
The Bears two second rounder’s to Carolina for the 14th over all pick
Pick 14 and Briggs to the Cards for the 5th pick overall
One final thought, this case should show teams that it isn’t necessarily the worst idea to agree to the high asking price of a player now, considering that the NFL salary cap is rocketing up, and a good deal this year is just average in a season or two.