The fastest man at Halas Hall is not Devin Hester or Johnny Knox; it’s Chicago Bears chief contract negotiator Cliff Stein. The Bears continued their practice of getting their draft picks signed by signing 2012 second round draft pick wide receiver Alshon Jeffery to a 4 year deal.
This is great news for Jay Cutler, Mike Tice and the rest of the Bears. By getting the deal done, they ensure that Jeffery gets into training camp on time to start working with Jay Cutler to build that all-important chemistry.
The Bears take pride in getting their draft picks signed quickly, but this is probably a new record. There have been no other reports of any rookies signed throughout the league.
While terms of the deal have not been disclosed, the slotting in the new CBA makes this pretty simple. If the contract is comparable to 2011’s 45th pick, Jeffery’s 4-year deal is believed to be worth an estimated $4.4 million with about $1.7 in signing bonus money. It’s good work, if you can get it.
Welcome aboard Alshon. Don’t go spending all that bonus money.