Updated at 2:31 p.m., Thursday, November 2, 2006
Hawaii's Kreutz signs contract extension with Bears
Associated Press
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Pro Bowl center Olin Kreutz on Thursday signed a contract extension that keeps him with the Chicago Bears through the 2010 season."It means a lot," said Kreutz, a graduate of Saint Louis School in Honolulu. "The Bears didn't have to re-sign me right now and they did, and I'm thankful for that. "I can retire a Bear now."
Terms of the three-year extension were not disclosed. Kreutz's existing six-year, $23 million deal was not due to expire until after the 2007 season, but the Bears sought an extension.
Kreutz has played in 61 straight regular-season games and has missed only one start since he became the starting center opening day of 1999. That was due to appendicitis in November 2002.
Kreutz had the chance to leave the Bears when the Miami Dolphins offered more money in 2002 before his last contract, but returned to Chicago.
"He's been very loyal to us," Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said. "Not only has he been a good football player, he's been a very loyal player and I also told Olin this: 'loyalty is a two-way street.' I wanted to make sure he saw that first hand from our perspective."
Teammates applauded the contract extension.
"He's the one guy that we can't lose," linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "And we're not going to."
Angelo said the team would not rule out using remaining salary cap money to extend other players' contracts, but doubted any such move would happen with linebacker Lance Briggs. The fourth-year linebacker will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
