The Chicago Bears don’t have to tell you they plan on inserting Brandon Meriweather into the starting lineup soon.
The one-year contract they gave the former first-round draft pick of the New England Patriots tells you that.
Meriweather received a $1 million signing bonus and has a base salary of $2.25 million, nearly double the $1.65 million the Patriots were going to pay him this season. It’s somewhat surprising the Bears paid Meriweather that much money without signing him to a two-year deal for more.
The object, of course, is for the Bears to solve a long-term need at the position, and it probably will not be long before Meriweather nudges Major Wright, a third-round pick in 2010, aside. He doesn’t consider himself to be on a “prove it” deal, the kind of contract that can pave the way to a big pay day.
“It's not just the money, it's the fact Coach Lovie (Smith) called me," Meriweather said about his decision to pick the Bears from what he said was a handful of offers. "When he called me, that let me know he wanted me to be here.
"I don't look at it as I am proving anything. I just love to play. That's what I am here to do."
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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune