Darwin Walker's Deal A Win Win For the Bears

by Adam T on Aug 3, 2007 8:12 AM CDT in News

I have to give it to Pro Football Talk, they are a blogger's best friend. Depending on who you ask anywhere from 50-75 percent of their stuff is useless or wrong, but just check out how many posts did that blogger get out of telling you they were wrong? Love them or hate them, they give you posts.

The one thing I appreciate about the site, is I know within a few days I will get to see actual numbers on new contracts. That is hard to find at the World Wide Leader. By the time the numbers come out, the have moved on to another "Look, TO practiced" or "New England is going to win the Super Bowl" story.

The contract the Bears worked out with Darwin Walker effectively lets us have a one year try out before we have to commit any real money to him.

is, in essence, a one-year deal with a team option on four more.

Walker will make a base salary of $1.9 million in 2007, a $600,000 increase over what he was due to earn in his prior contract.

In March, a $5 million option bonus comes due. The only way that the Bears can avoid it is to cut him before then.

Years two through four average roughly $3.5 million per year, with the option bonus included in that number. The fifth year, per the source, is a sham -- which means that it likely carries an unrealistically high salary.

So, for the Bears, they get a one-year test drive with Walker. If they like what they see, they pay the $5 million and pick up the balance of a pretty reasonable deal, especially in a market that has made guys we'd never heard of into multi-millionaires. If the Bears don't like Walker, they walk away.