Briggs on verge of mammoth payday
The end of the Lance Briggs era in Chicago is rapidly approaching, and it's not ending the way he would have wanted -- at least from a team aspect.
On the other hand, having recently been selected to his third straight Pro Bowl, Briggs' market value has never been higher, and for almost two years that has been the bottom line in his contentious relationship with management.
Even if he's sidelined or limited for these last two games by a hip injury that kept him out of practice all week, Briggs will be a hot commodity next spring.
When Briggs hits the unrestricted-free-agent market in early March, it won't take long for him to achieve the level of financial security he craves. The $33 million that the Bears offered in the spring of 2006 wasn't enough to get it done, and then he was forced to play for $7.2 million this year, which doesn't go nearly as far when you've got paternity problems away from the game.
"You want to maximize this business because you don't know when your last day's going to be," Briggs said earlier in the week when he deigned to speak to the media he has shunned most of the season. "Football (contracts are) not guaranteed like baseball or basketball, so you've got to make the most while you can.
"I have a lot on the line. The next play you could get hurt and you could go from a person potentially who could make $50 million to a person who's going to end up making $30 million, which is (still) a lot of money. But potentially you could have made a lot more money."
Briggs' payday will be closer to $50 million, but he won't get it from the Bears, who will take their chances next season with 2006 fourth-round pick Jamar Williams or an off-season acquisition. Incredibly, Briggs claims not to enjoy the business side of the game.
"To me the business side kind of takes away from the joy of it," he said. "To enjoy football is just to go out there for practice, joke around with your guys. Be sound on your techniques and go out and have fun on Sundays."
The 5-9 Bears haven't had much fun on Sundays, or Thursdays, or Mondays this season despite another solid season from Briggs, who is second on the team with 127 tackles and first with 8 tackles for loss. As a team, though, the Bears' defense has plummeted from near the top to just above the bottom of the league statistically. The free fall leaves Briggs without an explanation.
"I couldn't tell you," he said. "I know what it was like to be in one of the top defenses for the last couple years, and I know what it's like to be at the bottom of the barrel, too. I really can't explain it. It's something that just happens. Some of the best coaches say years like this happen."
Fortunately for Briggs, he'll find a comfortable place to land.