2011 Chicago Bears: In Defense of Lance Briggs Apparent Stupidity and Greed

Lance Briggs is a great weak-side linebacker.  Overshadowed by the presence of possible Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, Briggs found a niche in the Bears' Cover 2 defensive scheme, and has since flourished.

He is not a sack-artist by any means, but he is indeed a tackling machine.

In 2006, Briggs signed a six-year contract which included front-loaded guarantees that would pay him a franchise-level salary of $7 million per year.

Now, Briggs is set to earn $14 million over the next three years of his contract.

The problem?

None of that money is guaranteed. If Briggs starts this coming Sunday, the $3.5 million owed to him is guaranteed this season, but the remaining $10.5 million is not. The Bears can cut ties with him at any time afterward and would not owe him a penny.

Football contracts aren’t guaranteed as they are in every other sport, and that is why football players try and get as much as they possibly can.

And in all honesty, what’s wrong with that?

Fans of the Chicago Bears often refer to Chicago as a blue-collar city.  However, it seems that the fans always side with management on issues such as this, which is somewhat baffling. In the world of the NFL, the players are the labor, and the owners are management. So why would any blue-collar, hard-working individual ever side with management?  

Perhaps it's for the same reason that low-income voters sometimes vote Republican? I suggest reading “What’s the Matter with Kansas” by Thomas Frank.

Lance Briggs will make more money this year than just about anyone reading this article will earn in their entire lives, so comparing yourself to his situation is idiotic.

Briggs is a football player. His life expectancy is around 55 years old. The odds of him having severe medical issues later in life, as well as suffering from prolonged mental issues, are pretty high. While he is set to earn $3.5 million this year, $350,000 of that goes to his agent. Another significant portion goes to NFL labor dues. Then you must take off about $1.5 million for taxes.

So what’s left? A lot more than you and I will make this year, but for an elite linebacker, not so much.

Granted, Briggs got paid. He got his paper during the front-loaded portion of the contract, and now it's time for the Bears to get theirs. But assuming that the guy is greedy or a bad teammate for seeking more money is equally idiotic.

The biggest problem that Briggs faces is that he has absolutely no leverage. He has three years left on his deal, and he said he will play this season. If he didn’t, the Bears could fine him $30,000 per day that he misses. 

So he can’t sit out. He has to play, and he will earn the $3.5 million coming to him this year.

As for the remaining $10.5 million? The Bears might simply cut him next year and be done with it. He might suffer a career-ending injury during the current season, and the Bears would be off the hook for that as well.

I suppose the lesson learned is that during the next lockout or strike, insisting on guaranteed contracts might be a good idea. Just sayin'.