NFL rules stipulate that Briggs' only contract option now is the $7.2 million for one year that comes with the franchise tag placed on him in February by the Bears. The franchise tag guarantees Briggs the average of the top five salaries for players at his position in return for the Bears holding the option of matching any team's contract offer to him or receiving in compensation that team's first-round selections for the next two drafts.

Upset at not getting an offer he liked from the Bears and with marketability limited by the tag, Briggs vowed never to play again for the Bears and pushed for a trade to a team that would sign him long term. Briggs said he would sit out the first 10 games of 2007, playing only the final six in order to qualify for a year of NFL service.

The passing of the deadline renders Briggs' threat to sit out the first 10 games of the season shaky at best. It cannot pressure the Bears toward a long-term deal, since one cannot be signed now, and simply costs Briggs a weekly check of more than $400,000.

A Briggs absence allows Jamar Williams and Michael Okwo to gain experience and playing time while Briggs languishes in his self-imposed holding pattern and unable to work out or practice with an NFL team.