The Bears are hosting Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown this week as they start the process of looking for a long-term replacement for Brian Urlacher at middle linebacker.
Should they fall in love with Brown or some other rookie that they get in the draft later this month and find that the youngster is ready to play from the first day, it won’t cost them anything to back away from the veteran short-term replacement they signed last month. Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports that the Bears gave Williams no guaranteed money in his one-year deal and structured the deal so that Williams will have to be active every week to see its full value.
His base salary will be $900,000 with around $750,000 available through roster bonuses that would pay Williams for every week he is on the 53-man and/or 46-man rosters. Should the Bears decide Williams isn’t going to work out, it isn’t going to be a financial hit to move in another direction.
Given the fact that Williams served a pair of suspensions in 2012, protections against any absences was a good idea even if the Bears weren’t open to finding a different answer to their need at linebacker.