Factors just not in Briggs’ favor

The Bears and I finally agree on one of these contract controversies.

A few years ago I didn’t think Brian Urlacher deserved more money with multiple years left on his deal … but the Bears gave it to him anyway.

The Bears have yet to award Matt Forte the pay raise he wants … but I think they already should have given him whatever he himself thinks he’s worth.

Now the Lance Briggs dispute is ramping up even as Sunday’s season opener approaches.

The Bears give no indication that they’re inclined to renegotiate Briggs’ contract … and this time they’re right on the money.

To be honest, I didn’t think we’d still be discussing Briggs’ money matters. I thought by now he would have come to his senses and we all could move on to more serious subjects like whether Lovie Smith ever will utter something interesting this season.

But Briggs stoked the fire Monday by saying of his old-fashioned pay me or trade me demand, “It was necessary.”

Players all over the NFL are asking for better deals, and they all have to be addressed on their own merits.

Players like to cite precedents, but precedents are irrelevant. It doesn’t matter that the Bears threw money at Urlacher or that lesser NFL linebackers are being paid more than Briggs is.

What does matter is the combination of a player’s age, talent, years left on his current deal, how much he previously pocketed in his career, the team’s situation at his position, the structure of his existing contract and to a minor extent public sentiment.

To me Forte’s package of factors add up to paying him now, or even overpaying him.

Briggs has some elements on his side — like talent and the Bears’ lack of depth at linebacker — but in balance leverage is against him.

“When the organization or management says it’s not talking (about renegotiation) now or ever,” Briggs said, “that’s when you know your days are numbered.”

Briggs’ days are numbered. Every football player’s days are numbered. Every person’s days are numbered in the prevailing workplace climate.

Of course, not every person in every industry is like Briggs and been paid enough millions during his career to last a couple of hundred lifetimes.

If Briggs hasn’t squandered it, that is. If his demand is due to him being money foolish, as has been suggested, well, that’s more on him and less on the Bears.

“I have every right, every right, to go in and ask for a raise,” Briggs said.

Of course, what he didn’t add was that the Bears have every right, every right, to tell Briggs where to stick it.

World-class athletes aren’t like the rest of us. Even in team sports they have to be selfish. That goes for at the pay station as well as on the playing field.

The only person who can insert logic into the process from a player’s standpoint is his agent and Briggs’, Drew Rosenhaus, isn’t known for doing that.

So here we are — Briggs stubbornly sticking to his request without remorse and the Bears stubbornly sticking to their resistance without regret.

The best the Bears can hope for is that Briggs does what Forte has done, at least to this point, and plays grudgingly but productively.

On that front Briggs did say, encouragingly, “As long as I’m a Bear I’ll go out and perform.”

If only we could trust Lance Briggs to be that practical.

mimrem@dailyherald.com