Early signs point to Benson being late July 8, 2005
BY BRAD BIGGS Staff Reporter
Two weeks from today, the Bears will be in 11th-hour negotiations to get running back Cedric Benson to training camp on time.
That is, of course, if a deal is not struck before then, but the chances of that happening aren't good for a number of reasons, the first being that the Bears' July 23 reporting date is earlier than any other team's.
The Bears already were concerned about this scenario on draft day. That's what they talked about with Benson's agent, Eugene Parker, during the 15 minutes they were on the clock before announcing their selection. As the fourth overall pick, Benson will command about $15 million in total bonus money, and a deal like that doesn't get done easily.
Consider also that in many cases, contracts fall like dominoes, and as of Thursday, only two players drafted on the first day had agreed to deals, one of them Bears wide receiver Mark Bradley. Bradley, a second-round pick from Oklahoma, signed for five years at $4.28 million and will count $690,000 against the team's rookie pool of $4,297,580.
The players at the top of the draft are waiting to see what riches are bestowed upon quarterback Alex Smith, the No. 1 pick by the San Francisco 49ers, who don't open camp until July 28. His agent, Tom Condon, has talked at length with the 49ers, but there's no urgency for him to finish a deal. After Smith signs, Benson might want to see what Miami's Ronnie Brown and Cleveland's Braylon Edwards receive. The Browns don't open camp for three weeks.
Parker would not comment on negotiations, but brief talks between him and the team have been only preliminary, and he won't be getting down to business this weekend as he will be attending the wedding of another client, Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. Parker and the Bears have negotiated first-round deals in three of the last four years. All were ready to go on time except for wide receiver David Terrell, who was 11 days late in 2001. Like Benson, he was a top-10 pick.
Last year's fourth pick, San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, missed two preseason games. Four of the last eight picks in the No. 4 slot have been late, with Rivers and Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James (1999) having the shortest holdouts at 25 days.
If the Bears push for a six-year contract with Benson, they'll also have the obstacle of being able to prorate the signing bonus over only five years because of the collective bargaining agreement. That also means an option bonus paid next year could be amortized over only four years. If this is the case, Parker and the Bears will need to find more creative ways to structure the deal with various bonuses, perhaps based on playing time or performance.
One motivating factor for Benson could be the battle he is expected to have with Thomas Jones for the starting job. That's one thing the club can dangle in front of him.
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