Best Bears Blog

Anxious all week, Julius Peppers was finally getting some sleep at home in Charlotte when he found out just how serious the Bears were about acquiring him. The free agent signing period had just begun and his agent called to tell him coach Lovie Smith was in town. Soon, Peppers was meeting him at an executive airport.

Now, he’s being fitted for a Bears uniform. Peppers joined Chicago in the biggest move by a team that showed it’s fixated on contending again after missing the playoffs the past three seasons.

The five-time Pro Bowl defensive end and top free agent prize agreed Friday to a six-year deal worth potentially $91.5 million. Agent Carl Carey said a record $42 million is guaranteed, with Peppers earning $20 million in the first year and $40.5 million over the first three. The deal includes incentives for sacks, making the Pro Bowl and winning Defensive Player of the Year.

“It’s one thing to play football in this league and make a living, but it’s a totally different thing to come to a place with a rich tradition like the Bears,” Peppers said.

The Bears have themselves a backup to Matt Forte, as reports say that now former Viking RB Chester Taylor has inked a deal with the Bears, four years at $12 million.

Chester Taylor will stay in the NFC North.

The former Viking agreed to a four-year, $12 million contract with Chicago, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. $7 million is guaranteed in the first year.

The Bears are just getting their checkbook warmed up, with a deal for Julius Peppers on the way shortly.

Taylor’s contract, like the one for Kyle Vanden Bosch, includes a lot of front-loaded money in the uncapped year. Look for Taylor and Matt Forte to split up the workload in Chicago next season.

The deal means that the Bears continue to be at the top of the list when it comes to free agency, as they have Taylor, tight end Brandon Manumaleuna, and will have Julius Peppers all aboard on the first day of free agency.

The Bears are playing host today to two big name free agents, that being Chester Taylor Julius Peppers. The team though already reportedly has a free agent under terms, as reports say the team has inked free agent tight end Brandon Manumaleuna.

Even before he became a free agent, the Chicago Bears never tried to hide their interest in tight end Brandon Manumaleuna. So it’s no surprise that just hours after he became a free agent, Manumaleuna agreed to a deal with the Bears.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports that Manumaleuna will sign a five-year contract with the Bears today, pending a physical.

Manumaleuna arrived at O’Hare airport Friday morning and confirmed that he has joined the Bears and is excited about playing for coaches he already knows from his days with the St. Louis Rams.

“I played for Mike Martz and Lovie Smith was the defensive coordinator. It was a great situation,” Manumaleuna said. “This team has a chance to be real successful.”

Although the signing will raise more questions about tight end Greg Olsen’s role in Martz’s offense, the Tribune reports that the more immediate question is about tight end Desmond Clark, who has a $475,000 roster bonus due today.

He played the last four seasons with the Chargers, and last season he had 5 catches for 13 yards. He also played four years with the Rams from 2001 to 2006.

Julius Peppers isn’t the only name free agent that will be at Halas Hall on Friday, as running back Chester Taylor will visit the team also.

Running back Chester Taylor is expected to visit with the Bears Friday, according to a league source. Taylor would seem an ideal fit to complement Matt Forte in Mike Martz’s offense, which highlights the running back position. Taylor has served as a valuable backup to Adrian Peterson, particularly on third downs because of his ability to block, run and catch the ball.

To ink Taylor would also hurt the Vikings, which means it’s an even better move for the Bears, who would not only make their team better, but hurt the team that won the division as well.

The Bears have reportedly been hot to trot to try and land Panthers free agent DE Julius Peppers, and they have at the least landed a visit from Peppers, who will be in town Friday.

Defensive end Julius Peppers, the top agent on the market, has agreed to visit the Bears Friday, agent Carl Carey told the Tribune as free agency began Thursday night. No team was allowed to have contact with Peppers until the free-agent period officially began at 11:01 p.m., but Peppers had a strong interest in joining Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, and Tommie Harris on the Bears’ defense. The Bears were the first team to call Carey and extended a “substantial offer” that was good enough to get Peppers on the plane.

Peppers arrival could mean a shift in the Bears defense, as reports have been that Tommie Harris’ job could be at risk with the Bears spending so much on Peppers, who didn’t get the franchise tag again this year from the Panthers.

David Kaplan of The Chicago Tribune says that sources have told him the representative for premier free agent defensive end Julius Peppers met with the Bears over the weekend. To nab him, the Bears would have to offer one of the richest contracts in franchise history.

The defensive end is considered the hottest free agent on the market and is reportedly seeking a contract similar to what defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth received last offseason with the Washington Redskins.

Peppers will not be getting the franchise tag from the Panthers, which means he is free to go to any team he chooses. He would right away upgrade the Bears defense, a defense that has struggled greatly over the past few seasons. It would be a huge free agency splash for the Bears to land Peppers.

Bears tight end Greg Olsen being on the trade block was apparently the most talked-about rumor at the combine this week, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Greg Bedard. The Bears recently hired Mike Martz to be their new offensive coordinator, and Martz has never asked his tight ends to run many passing routes, nullifying Olsen’s talent in Chicago. Plenty of team’s will be interested in Olsen, so it will come down to just how much the Bears want for him in return

In a move that does not come as much of a shock considering how he played last season, a report from Pro Football Weekly states that the team is releasing offensive lineman Orlando Pace:

Pro Football Weekly has learned from league sources that the Bears terminated the contract late Monday of seven-time Pro Bowl OT Orlando Pace. The 13-year veteran’s release has yet to be officially confirmed by the team. Pace had two years left on the three-year, $15 million deal he signed with the Bears before the 2009 season and was scheduled to make a base salary of $3.75 million in 2010 to go with a $250,000 workout bonus.

Pace, who has been contemplating retirement since mid-December, was replaced as the starting left tackle by former first-round draft pick Chris Williams with five games remaining this past season. Despite allowing only three sacks in 11 starts, it was clear he was nowhere near the dominant force he once was.

Okay, a quick review – here are the first 2 steps of my 3-step Chicago Bear pre-Draft player makeover:

1. Trade Lance Briggs for a 2010 1^st round draft pick.
2. Pass on Peppers, sign DE Aaron Kampman.

I was going to tell you move #3 should be signing the Vikings’ Chester Taylor. I had a nice post written about how Taylor would be the perfect complement to (and potential replacement for) Matt Forte…and how he has significantly less wear-and-tear than any of the other 30-something-year-old RBs on the market (Tomlinson, Westbrook). And then a cold dose of reality slapped me upside the facial region.

Here’s why I DON’T think the Bears should pursue Chester:

1. His asking price will be too high, and we have other more pressing needs to address (DE, S) before overspending for a backup RB.
2. If we keep Kevin Jones or AP (notice I did NOT mention Wolfe), we could address RB in the middle of the draft. Here are 3 names I like: Kendall Hunter of Okie State; Stafon Johnson of USC and Charles Scott of LSU.

So since I talked myself out of signing Taylor, I came up with 4 other subtle (and not-so-subtle) roster maneuvers that will help Mike Martz get the most out of his potential one-year coaching audition:

1. Trade Greg Olsen. G-Reg has been a stand-up guy, but he doesn’t fit Martz’s prototypical block first, catch second TE. Martz said it best himself when asked about Olsen – “To…say ‘OK, he’s a terrific receiver,’ well then you may as well just put another wide receiver in there.” Rumors surfaced over the weekend that the Bears could be interested in the Chargers’ Brandon Manumaleuna, who was part of the Greatest Show on Turf. Signing him would give us 5 TEs on the roster. While I don’t think we’d get a first rounder for Olsen (because every team in the league knows he’s not a fit for the new offense), if we could swing a 2 or a 3 and a mid-rounder in return, I say ‘go for it.’ Some potential trade partners? How about the Browns, Dolphins or Bengals.
2. Leave the O-line alone. With Omiyale at guard, Schaeffer at right tackle and Williams on Cutler’s blindside, the unit started to gel late in the year vs. the Vikes and Lions. Let’s keep Frank focused on guard so he doesn’t become the offense’s equivalent of Daniel Manning – an athletic guy whose talent is wasted because he gets flip-flopped between positions. With Martz’s penchant for calling on his QB to take 7-step drops, I like the steady presence of the veteran Schaeffer manning one side of the line and Frank the Tank eating up space in the middle. And if Mike Tice is as good an O-line coach as advertised, he should be able to get the most out of these big uglies.
3. Cut the umbilical cord attached to Garrett Wolfe. After 3 years, the Bears should finally realize what the rest of the free world already knows about the former 3^rd round pick – he’s a small guy who doesn’t have the durability to be a regular contributor. And the Bears could find a dude off the street to match what Wolfe contributes on special teams.
4. Do not sign an experienced WR like Torry Holt or TO. There’s no use stunting one of our younger, more talented player’s development by keeping him on the sideline (see Earl Bennett’s ‘redshirt’ year in 2008). Let them jump right in and learn Martz’s complicated offense through a little on-the-job training. If one of the young guns doesn’t look like he’s ‘getting it’ after OTAs, mini-camps and training camp, then see if there’s a deal or cut that could deliver a seasoned vet.

I can’t wait till this Thursday at midnight when the free agent frenzy officially begins. We should have a lot to lament, criticize and perhaps even praise between then and the draft.

Watch the final two min again of Super Bowl XX and the win over the Pats.