Briggs was going to wait until after the season to ask to be traded but after speaking with Angelo, he wants to be traded now.
It seems that Briggs wants to flip the payment structure of his current contract where instead of making $3.9M this year and $6+M in the final year, he wants that in reverse.
He has no leverage on anything but still not the news you want from one of your best players/leaders right before the regular season.
8 comments:
This is a joke. A couple of years ago he said he would never play for the Bears again.
But the reality is, who is going to trade for Briggs and then give him big money? NO ONE!
Even if there is a team that wants Briggs and would be willing to give a high draft pick (which is unlikely). They would only do so at his current pay level. They are not likely to tear up his current contract which has a couple of more years, and then give him a pay day way above his current fairly hefty salary.
If I were Jerry Angelo I would say STFU and crumple up the request to seek a trade and throw it in Briggs face.
I don't really have an issue with giving him some additional performance bonuses, but that is about it.
All that said, Briggs has said he is going to play hard for the Bears.
I largely agree with you. The only issue is that it becomes a distraction. Briggs has been pretty vocal for a while now and clearly relations have only become more strained. We'll see how he and the team reacts.
Briggs has made fusses in the past. His problem is that he signed a 6 year deal and not surprisingly salaries have increased. He took big money up front and got some longer term protection for himself, now he wants to renegotiate again.
Briggs is a very good player, but he is well suited for the Bears Tampa 2 weak side linebacker position. If he goes to another system he will have to learn new responsibilities and probably would not be as effective.
He is basically where Osi is w/the Giants. STFU and play. None of this will really be a distraction.
I do hope the Bears work out a deal with Forte, but they seem to be willing to give him $14M guaranteed. That is just above what Gore got and Gore has been more productive over a longer period.
If Forte doesn't get a new deal he will get the transition tag slapped on him next year and the Bears will still have him for another year. So I'm not really that worried about it.
Agree with you but the growing feeling within the locker room will be frustration as respected leaders become more vocal. I'm not saying that they are right. Only that that appears to be what is happening now.
I don't think Forte and Briggs will try to sabotage the locker room.
Frankly, Briggs made a mistake going public. If he was quiet about it something may have been worked out. But, now there is really no reason to show that making a big public fuss will get you what you want.
I don't think either one will try and sabotage the locker room as well. However, like it or not, the players are paying attention to it and I'm sure many of the players side with their teammates. Thus, it becomes a distraction.
If Briggs reallly wants the new contract, I don't think he made a mistake going public. The Pears want him quiet and don't want this matter in the public. Briggs will be vocal to try and embarrass the organization and force them to pay by showing he is underpaid by comparison with his peers.
Dude, what team is going to want him when all he does is cry about his contract? He hurt his rep in Chicago and he is ripping an organization that just paid him $7.5M/year the last three years.
He signed the 6 year contract with the idea that he would get paid a ton up front and less in the last three years. It was a more than fair contract and he still will earn about $4M/year the next two years and then another $6M in the final year. He is nowhere near underpaid, especially when you factor in his upfront money.
The Bears should try to trade him next year and use two of their top 4 picks next year to draft linebackers - including Briggs' replacement.
I believe that Briggs is in the wrong. He got paid the bulk up front and once the salary started to shrink annually, he wants to renegotiate. It's wrong.
Still, there is right and wrong and there is perception. Perception is reality. It's the same with politics. People will believe anything.
Briggs is claiming to be underpaid and unfairly treated. There will be those on the team that sympathize. Whether they sympathize or not, he is becoming a distraction.
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