Making sense of the Urlacher dollars and cents

Here is a look at the Brian Urlacher contract numbers so you can boil the situation down to the dollars and cents because no matter what is said … it is all about the money.

Urlacher currently has four years remaining on the $56.65 million, nine-year contract he signed in 2003. That extension came with two years remaining on his rookie contract.

There is $22.4 million remaining to be paid in base salary. Hes passing on a minor workout bonus of $50,000 by skipping the voluntary workout program.

Here is how its divided:

2008 $3.95 million

2009 $4.95 million

2010 $6.15 million

2011 $7.35 million

The offer the Bears made Urlacher would add $18 million to the existing deal with a one-year extension that would carry through the 2012 season when he would be 34 years old. It would adjust the contract as such:

$5 million signing bonus

2008 $3.95 million base pay plus $1 million play-time bonus*

2009 $4.95 million base pay plus $1 million play-time bonus*

2010 $6.15 million base pay plus $1 million play-time bonus*

2011 $7.35 million base pay plus $1 million play-time bonus*

2012 $9 million base pay

* Urlacher would need to be on the field for 85 percent of the defensive snaps to trigger the bonus in each season.

So the new money breaks down with $5 million guaranteed as a bonus, $9 million in base pay in 2012 and $1 million payable in a play-time bonus in the next four seasons.