By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. (AP) - The Chicago Bears and defensive tackle
Darwin Walker agreed to a five-year, $25 million contract on
Tuesday, two days after the team acquired him in a trade with
Buffalo.
Walker will earn about $2 million this season, plus $8 million
to $9 million in bonuses and possibly another $3.5 million in
incentives over the length of the contract, according to his agent
Albert Irby.
"This is great, and I'm just excited to be a Bear," Walker
said after practice Tuesday night. "And I look forward to trying
to get to the Super Bowl."
Buffalo had obtained Walker from Philadelphia in March for
linebacker Takeo Spikes and backup quarterback Kelly Holcomb.
Walker, however, refused to report to the Bills until the team
renegotiated the remaining two years on his contract. He was
scheduled to make $1.3 million this year and $1.4 million next
season.
Walker would have taken a one-year deal with the Bears. Instead,
he's signed through 2011.
"We'd have just taken a one-year deal and done what we had to
do," Walker said. "Fortunately, the Bears saw it a little
different, and we're excited about that."
By acquiring Walker, the defending NFC champions filled a big
hole that opened when the team released Tank Johnson following a
series of run-ins with the law. They acquired a player with 26½
sacks over the past five years, making him the fourth-most
productive defensive tackle during that span.
Walker was interested in joining the Bears when the Eagles
allowed him to seek a trade last spring. But Chicago had no room
because Johnson was still on the team.
"There was instant love between Darwin and the Bears," Irby
said. "Darwin said, 'Look, just get the deal done.' Now, he's
excited about being a Bear. The Bears are young and tough and
they're going to be a competitive team for a long time."
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
