Lance Briggs is going to play and not sit. The Chicago Bears Pro Bowl linebacker agreed to a one-year, $7.2 million contract Wednesday as the team’s franchise player.
Unhappy when he was initially given the tag, Briggs had threatened to sit out the season but reached an agreement one day before the Bears are to report to training camp.
The deal came together after the Bears agreed to not put the franchise tag on Briggs in 2008 and give the linebacker a $1 million advance, agent Drew Rosenhaus said.
Rosenhaus called it a “fair tradeoff.”
Briggs, who helped the Bears make the Super Bowl last season for the first time since 1985, is getting the average of the top five salaries at his position.
The Bears also agreed to a four-year contract with second- round pick Dan Bazuin, a defensive end out of Central Michigan.
Titans: Tennessee agreed to terms with veteran receiver Eric Moulds, adding some needed experience to the roster for quarterback Vince Young.
The 11-year veteran spent 2006 with the Houston Texans after playing for the Buffalo Bills his first 10 seasons in the NFL.
He has caught at least 67 passes in each of his past nine seasons, which is more than anyone caught for Tennessee in 2006.
Falcons: Running back Warrick Dunn, who rushed for a team-high 1,140 yards last year, will miss three to four weeks after having back surgery.
If the 32-year-old Dunn needs a full month to recover, he would miss all of training camp and the first two preseason games. But he should be back in time for Atlanta’s Sept. 9 season opener at Minnesota.
Jerious Norwood, who rushed for 633 yards in his rookie season, will move up to the first team while Dunn is out.
Raiders: Oakland signed running back Michael Bush, one of the team’s two fourth-round draft picks.
Bush was considered one of the top running backs in the country before breaking his leg in Louisville’s opener against Kentucky last September. He was coming off a junior season in which he ran for 1,143 yards and an NCAA-leading 23 touchdowns.
Bush did not take part in any team drills during offseason workouts with the Raiders after having a new rod inserted into his leg after the bone didn’t heal quickly enough from the initial surgery.
The Raiders also cut safeties Jarrod Cooper and Darnell Bing. Cooper was suspended last week for the first four regular- season games for violating the NFL’s policy on steroids.
Cardinals: Arizona agreed to terms with second-round draft pick Alan Branch, a defensive tackle out of Michigan who was chosen No. 33 overall.
Eagles: Kevin Kolb, who was selected in the second round of April’s draft with the 36th overall pick, signed a four-year deal. The quarterback threw for 3,809 yards and 30 touchdowns his senior year at Houston.
Giants: Backup safety Jason Bell was placed on injured reserve because of a back injury.
49ers: San Francisco agreed to a contract with running back Thomas Clayton, a sixth-round pick out of Kansas State who ran for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns in his three-year career for the Wildcats.
Bills: Linebacker Paul Pos- luszny, a second-round draft pick out of Penn State, signed a four-year deal potentially worth more than $5 million.
Buffalo also signed running back Dwayne Wright, a fourth- round pick out of Fresno State.
Jets: Linebacker David Harris, New York’s second-round pick out of Michigan, signed a four- year contract.
