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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Bears, Urlacher agree to extension

Advertiser News Services

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Brian Urlacher

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CHICAGO — Now that the Chicago Bears have appeased the face of the franchise before training camp, they can focus on appealing to the future of the offensive line.

Brian Urlacher agreed yesterday to the one-year contract extension that pushes his current contract through 2012 and includes almost $18 million in new money, $6 million in bonuses.

Bill Johnson, Urlacher's agent, still has some unfinished business as he attempts to close the deal on another client — left tackle Chris Williams, the Bears' first-round draft pick.

As of yesterday, it was unclear exactly where talks stood on the matter, and the deadline for players to report to camp in Bourbonnais is midnight today.

Johnson has declined to comment on any specifics of the negotiations except to say the Bears have worked diligently to get something done before the start of practice tomorrow.

Williams, the No. 14 overall pick in this spring's draft, vowed not to be a holdout when he was introduced to the Chicago media after completion of the draft. He is likely to sign a five-year contract with somewhere near $9 million guaranteed.

Last season, Urlacher played with an arthritic back condition and also had minor offseason neck surgery. Urlacher, 30, has been selected for the Pro Bowl six times and has 15 career interceptions and 37 1/2 sacks.

ELSEWHERE

Broncos: Denver signed center Kory Lichtensteiger and waived running back Mike Bell and kicker Garrett Hartley yesterday. The Broncos chose Lichtensteiger in the fourth round (108th overall) of this year's draft from Bowling Green State University. The terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Cardinals: Arizona signed second-round pick Calais Campbell yesterday, leaving first-round selection Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, a defensive back from Tennessee State, as its only unsigned draft choice heading into training camp. Campbell, a defensive end out of Miami, signed a four-year deal. Terms weren't disclosed.

Giants: New York signed second-round draft choice Terrell Thomas, a cornerback from USC, to an undisclosed contract yesterday, leaving the Super Bowl champions with only one of their seven draft selections still unsigned. The only unsigned draft choice is safety Kenny Phillips, its first-round selection from Miami.

Jets: New York placed disgruntled tight end Chris Baker on the active-physically unable to perform list yesterday. Baker, angry that the Jets have refused to renegotiate his contract, missed a portion of minicamp last month after tweaking his back during practice. He was reportedly fined by the team for missing an injury treatment session.