For nearly two decades the Bears worried little about the right offensive tackle position.
James “Big Cat” Williams started 134 straight games there from 1994-2002, and Keith Van Horne set the standard for 12 years prior to that.
Now it’s John Tait’s turn to uphold that tradition.
The Bears sought more long-term stability than last year’s starter, Aaron Gibson, could provide and found it in Tait.
Tait officially became a Bear on Friday night when the Chiefs elected not to match a six-year, $33.5 million contract that includes $14 million in bonuses.
“I felt really good about Chicago really stepping up to the plate [financially],” Tait said in a conference call Friday night. “It proved to me how much they wanted me. I am wholeheartedly ready to embrace Chicago.”
League sources said a $7.5 million roster bonus that will count against next year’s salary cap instead of being evenly distributed over the length of the deal–as are signing bonuses–made the contract too unwieldy for the Chiefs.
Tait’s salary will count $11.5 million against the cap next season, and the Chiefs only had room for another $4 million. Kansas City officials spent parts of Thursday and Friday consulting with league officials and looking for flaws in the way the Bears structured the contract to maximize the salary-cap jeopardy for the Chiefs.
“Chicago was smart and had money to spend,” said Tait, 29.
The Chiefs badly wanted to keep Tait. The Bears just wanted him more and dug deep to show it.
On the team’s Web site, Chiefs President Carl Peterson said Friday night that Tait’s compensation package would be prohibitive.
“We believe that cap number is too excessive for the services of one player,” Peterson said.
Before the free-agent signing period started, Bears general manager Jerry Angelo said he wouldn’t set the market for a player, yet that is what Angelo did with Tait in his biggest coup as general manager.
“All I ever wanted from the beginning was a fair-market deal,” said Tait, sold on the Bears during his visit last weekend. “I don’t think [the Bears] are on a rebuilding course. It’s a team with a real solid core, and a lot better than people think.”
The $14 million in bonus money is believed to be the richest ever awarded a right tackle, and Tait will be among the highest-paid offensive tackles in the NFL next season.
Tait’s signing likely will leave Gibson fighting for a spot on the roster during training camp and reiterates how remote the Bears believe the chances are for Marc Colombo returning from a knee injury. With left guard Rex Tucker expected back at full strength ahead of Steve Edwards, it’s possible the Bears will start the season with four offensive linemen surrounding center Olin Kreutz who didn’t start a game for them last season. That won’t be considered a bad thing.
The Bears remain the front-runner for left tackle Ephraim Salaam after Baltimore bowed out Friday when it re-signed Orlando Brown. The Seahawks only are offering a role as a backup. Salaam would be favored to beat out Qasim Mitchell at left tackle, where Colombo also vows to be a factor.
After Friday night, the Bears have no such questions on the right side, they hope, for the foreseeable future.
