During the coaching search that eventually brought Lovie Smith to Chicago, general manager Jerry Angelo fought the perception he sought control over every aspect of the team.
But the Bears’ vigorous pursuit Saturday of Miami Dolphins defensive end Adewale Ogunleye illustrated once again that Angelo embraces the opportunity to style the Bears’ roster according to Smith’s design.
The Bears traded their best receiver, Marty Booker, and a 2005 third-round draft pick to get the type of dominant pass-rusher Smith values more than any other player. To Smith, the left defensive end is the linchpin that holds together a game plan built on quarterback pressure.
The decision to choose an Pro Bowl sack specialist over an Pro Bowl receiver makes Smith’s stamp on his first team the most obvious, and the latest example of his impact on Angelo.
Angelo stayed away from signing a veteran backup quarterback last spring, as Smith preferred, and pursued free agents last winter after initially saying otherwise because Smith encouraged him to do so. Now, trading Booker confirms how far Angelo will go to help the head coach he hired.
It also shows how deep the Bears will dig into their pockets for the right guy. The Bears signed Ogunleye a six-year deal worth $33.4 million. It pays him $23 million in the first three years of the contract and $15 million in bonuses–a $10 million signing bonus and a $5 million roster bonus that kicks in next year.
The trade wasn’t completed until Saturday night and was contingent on the Bears working out a contract extension with Ogunleye.
Reached earlier Saturday night, Ogunleye said he was surprised by the developments but would love to play in Chicago.
“Let’s wait and see what happens,” Ogunleye said. “But it would be very exciting, sure.”
Ogunleye had a year left on his contract but held out of training camp in hopes of receiving a long-term deal with signing bonuses in the neighborhood of $12 million.
“You want me to go out there and prove myself another year? No, going out there is not proving myself,” Ogunleye told Miami reporters last week. “I’ve already done that. So what’s the sense of going out there for one year and risking the well-being of my family? Risking stability?”
Ogunleye, 27, is especially weary of risking injury after missing the second half of his senior season at Indiana University after tearing a ligament in his left knee against Northwestern. Concern over that injury scared away NFL teams, and Ogunleye signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent. After sitting out 2000 rehabilitating his knee, Ogunleye has had 25 sacks–including an AFC-high 15 last season.
The Bears’ tricky negotiations with agent Drew Rosenhaus initially hit a snag Saturday night over the structure of the bonuses.
Sources said Rosenhaus predicted the two sides were too far apart to reach an agreement. The deadline was pushed back to 11 p.m. Saturday, and the race was on.
The Bears entered training camp believed to be nearly $4 million under the salary cap and had to be creative in structuring a deal that would fit under those parameters. But as more than one source pointed out, it seems unlikely the Bears would get to the point of informing Booker he was leaving town without feeling confident they could finagle Ogunleye’s contract under the cap.
Booker was scheduled to earn $2.7 million this season and $16 million through the duration of a contract that runs out in 2008. Before the 2002 season, the Bears locked Booker up with a record seven-year, $28 million deal that included a $5.5 million bonus. That bonus accelerates against this year’s salary cap, but the loss of his big salary means the Bears would only take a $500,000 cap hit.
Booker’s departure signals just how dramatic the Bears’ offense has changed not only this season but also in recent years. Without Booker, center Olin Kreutz is the only offensive starter remaining from the 2001 division champions.
