Briggs waits for the call
Like draftees, 'backer hopes to learn fate during draft weekend
April 26, 2007
BY MIKE MULLIGAN
mmulligan@suntimes.com
Sometimes you just need a vacation from yourself, a bit of distance between you and your problems. Just ask Bears linebacker Lance Briggs, who has to feel like he's going through the NFL draft all over again while waiting and hoping to hear his name called by another team.
Briggs wants a trade out of Chicago. He is comfortably planted in his home in Arizona these days, away from friendly inquiries about his trade status, holdout threat or the chances he'll play for the Bears next year. He says he doesn't know where he'll watch the draft Saturday but ensures, ''I'll be watching it closely.''
Does he expect to be traded as the rumor mill heats up with talk of multiple teams showing interest in acquiring the two-time Pro Bowl selection.
''There is a lot of opportunity there, and we have all been working at it to make something happen,'' Briggs said. ''I hope for a positive outcome for everyone.''
Briggs said he's working out on his own and trying to get in top shape to prepare for next season.
''Saturday is a big day, but it doesn't have to happen then,'' he said of a potential trade. ''The trade deadline is the trade deadline.''
It's a lot more likely that Briggs will get his wish for a new address in the next couple of days than in the weeks and months after the draft and before the October trade deadline. But if the Bears do plan on trading him, they probably will have to do it before Saturday.
Briggs technically has no contract. He has not signed the tender offer that comes with the franchise tag and would have to do so before the Bears could trade him. That might not sound like a problem, but it affects the possibility of a deal getting done while the draft is in progress.
Can you imagine, say, Washington on the clock with the No. 6 pick and cutting a deal with the Bears, who then would have to fax the tender offer to Briggs, have him sign it and get it to the league office? If a trade is struck with Washington, at least the Commanders reportedly have agreed to terms with Briggs on a new contract. What if Tampa Bay is the team? Do any contract details have to be worked out?
Briggs said he will be near the phone all weekend and doesn't see any logistical problems that might prevent a trade.
''Every team in the NFL understands the business and how they have to handle a trade in a time period,'' Briggs said. ''They know what they are doing. I'm sure it would all be done within the rules of the league.''
The Bears aren't against the idea of trading Briggs. What's clear from comments general manager Jerry Angelo made Tuesday is that they love the idea of trading out of the first round. If they were to rekindle the Washington deal, Angelo said they have a player they could pick at No. 6, believed to be LSU safety LaRon Landry. The No. 6 pick also could be in play for Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn or Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson should either of them fall.
The Bears still would prefer to trade down, even if they wound up that high. If no deal is made and their first pick is No. 31, they are hoping interest in Stanford quarterback Trent Edwards could put that pick in play.
''I'm never going to rule that out,'' Angelo said of trading down. ''We might be under the radar in terms of the names of these people, but it's not like we are in a vacuum and we're not understanding of what is down there. I'm not afraid to extend on a player based on his traits or his unknowns.''
