Bears Make Nice Catch

By Benjy Lipsman on Feb 28, 2005 2:03PM

Just hours after his release from the Carolina Panthers (who didn't want to pay a $10 million roster bonus), the Bears pulled off a major coup when they agreed to a deal with All Pro wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad. His deal, which guarantees at least $12 million, could be worth up to $30 million over 6 years.

Muhammad caught 93 passes last season for 1,405 yards and 16 touchdowns. And that was after fellow WR Steve Smith went down with a season ending injury in week one -- making Muhammah the sole focus for opposing defensive secondaries all year.

The Bears clearly needed to upgrade the wide receiver position. Compare Muhammad's personal stats to the Bears' entire receiving corp. -- which only caught 111 passes for 1561 yards and 3 TDs.

Part of those poor numbers was the chaos at QB last season, but that wasn't the whole problem. Having traded primary target Marty Booker to Miami prior to last season, former first rounder David Terrell again failed to live up to expectations and is likely to get cut this off-season. Update: David Terrell was cut today.

The Muhammah pick up certainly gives the Bears some more flexibility in April's draft. Whereas they previously needed to give heavy consideration to the likes of Mike Williams and Braylon Edwards, now they can look to address other needs as well. Like maybe a top running back? We'll find out April 23rd.

Image via ChicagoBears.com