Briggs on his way to a holdout?

[BigBroncLove]

I don't think this has been posted, but I thought I'd post it incase it hadn't been. If it has let me know and I will delete it when I get a chance. Anyways, interesting stuff. Briggs is playign the public card in negotiations that should be behind closed doors, and it sounds like he wants a big pay day. I wonder if the Bears will be able to reel him back in...

New Story: Briggs Hitting The Air Simply Bad Business

Briggs hitting the air simply bad business

Linebacker Lance Briggs ratcheted up his public "negotiations" with the Bears on Tuesday, reiterating this time on ESPN's "SportsCenter" his unhappiness with the franchise tag and its $7.2 million guaranteed salary.

He declared once again, "If the situation comes to it, I'm prepared to sit out the season."

Briggs has uttered the de rigeur "it's not about the money." Then he states that this is just about long-term security in the form of a fair-market-value contract. Unless Briggs is referring to supermarket value, "market value" is about the money.

Briggs, at least, has not invoked the line that he wants to go to a championship contender, which would be a tough sell because he's already on one. He simply wants to be The Kobe, er, The Man, somewhere.

"This is a business and I'm the CEO of my business, of 'Lance Briggs,'" Briggs told SportsCenter.

Little argument there; the NFL is a business, and money is how business keeps score. But business is also about doing business, not just the money. Briggs' going national with his complaining is making it more difficult for the Bears to do business with him, or for him, even if they wanted to do so. Thomas Jones found general manager Jerry Angelo to be a man of his word, working out a trade just the way Angelo said he would try to do, partly because Jones helped make the 2006 season work, like he told Angelo he would. Good business.

Briggs is finding Angelo to be a man of his word as well, which is not working out so well because Briggs at this point is the first big starting piece of the Super Bowl team to undermine the foundation. That is not a good way to do business with Angelo.

Briggs is a Pro Bowl weak-side linebacker. The Bears won Super Bowl XX with starters Todd Bell and Al Harris refusing to sign contracts. Bell was a Pro Bowl safety, a defining figure on the '80s defense.

Harris was the weak-side linebacker.

Original Story: Chicago Sun Times: Briggs Threatens To Sit Out 2007

[silkamilkamonic]

Briggs must not be very smart, or he's getting incredibly stupid advice from the people around him.

Or, maybe he believes he isn't as good as what he's been the last coupole of years.

[BroncoSexyDaddy]

He wants to be the face of a defense,he hates being over shawdowed by Urlacher.When in fact he puts up better numbers.I believe its a jealousy thing with Brian Urlacher.He simply just want out of Chicago.

It reminds me of why Lelie wanted out of Denver.These players and their egos jeeez!

[OaklandxxRaider]

He wants to be the face of a defense,he hates being over shawdowed by Urlacher.When in fact he puts up better numbers.I believe its a jealousy thing with Brian Urlacher.He simply just want out of Chicago.

It reminds me of why Lelie wanted out of Denver.These players and their egos jeeez!

I dont think its a jealousy thing. I think he's being sincere about what he wants. If i remember correctly, this past season('06), he only made a base salary of $750,000... Now, if you ask me, thats nothing for a guy like him... especially after helping the team get to a superbowl. Now, on the flip side of things, he has been offered a long term deal, and he refused it. So obviously he's choosing to make things this hard. Its a tough situation, but honestly, i think if the bears dont pay him, another team definitely will.

[silkamilkamonic]

Briggs has said he wants to be a top payed LB in the game, and run his own unit ala Urlacher style.

He's going about it horribly wrong.

Sitting a year out isn'y going to get him anywwhere. He has 1 year left under contract, and that doesn't go into effective until he reports.

He has absolutely nothing on the Bears in this situation.

He's going about the situation completely wrong.

[UnderArmour]

You're wrong actually. He has 0 years left in his contract but he has been Franchise tagged. He does not have to sign the tender, and the Bears can do nothing about it. He can very well sit out this season and wait until next year to be an UFA without any financial consequences other than not making 7.3 Million. The Bears just hold his rights for this year if he doesn't sign the tender.

[antiwup]

You're wrong actually. He has 0 years left in his contract but he has been Franchise tagged. He does not have to sign the tender, and the Bears can do nothing about it. He can very well sit out this season and wait until next year to be an UFA without any financial consequences other than not making 7.3 Million. The Bears just hold his rights for this year if he doesn't sign the tender.

i agree with your statement. he wants a long term contract not some stupid 1 year 7.3 million contract he wants what the market dictates for a 2 time probowler and it isnt 7.3 mil!

[silkamilkamonic]

You're wrong actually. He has 0 years left in his contract but he has been Franchise tagged. He does not have to sign the tender, and the Bears can do nothing about it. He can very well sit out this season and wait until next year to be an UFA without any financial consequences other than not making 7.3 Million. The Bears just hold his rights for this year if he doesn't sign the tender.

In tht case, he's risking to lose millions in his next contract. He has an oppurtunity to make $7.3 mill, have another very good year, and get the contract he wants next year.

Sitting out a year is only going to raise questions about his character.

[OaklandxxRaider]

In tht case, he's risking to lose millions in his next contract. He has an oppurtunity to make $7.3 mill, have another very good year, and get the contract he wants next year.

Sitting out a year is only going to raise questions about his character.

Looking at it from his point of view, i can understand. Why stay with a team thats paying you as little as possible? Its just like any job, you want to get paid what you're worth. Now, i do believe he is going about it the wrong way, and i only say that because he's commenting on it so early in the offseason. It should be interesting to see what he and the bears decide to do.

[UnderArmour]

In tht case, he's risking to lose millions in his next contract. He has an oppurtunity to make $7.3 mill, have another very good year, and get the contract he wants next year.

Sitting out a year is only going to raise questions about his character.

That's just the thing. The Bears will just tag him again, they have shown ZERO respect for what Briggs has done for their defense. The long term contract they offered Briggs was a joke considering his accomplishments. They did not want Briggs to be the highest paid linebacker on the team, so they offered him LESS than Urlacher. Pro bowl quality WLB, and even some non pro bowlers, tend to be paid more than Urlacher.

For Briggs to be given a contract that was no up to par with his position just to keep him as not the highest paid LB on the team is a good way to not get the player to sign it. The Bears just don't like to take care of their players if your name isn't Brian Urlacher in the Angelo era.