A report says that the Chicago Bears paid a heavy guaranteed-money price to keep the Green Bay Packers from grabbing one of Chicago’s top defensive players.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com said the Bears are matching the Packers’ offer sheet for cornerback Kyle Fuller.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune initially said that the Packers had signed the offer sheet with Fuller. The Bears had until Wednesday night to keep him.
Chicago had placed a “transition” tag on him, meaning that if another team would be willing to pay the required transition salary ($12,906,700/year) for Fuller and the Bears don’t, they could take him.
Rapoport said the Bears increased Fuller’s guaranteed money in his contract, $18 million of the four-year, $56 million deal, keeping him.
Fuller has eight career interceptions with the Bears after three seasons. Chicago picked him in the first round of the 2014 draft. Many analysts consider him a top 10 or 15 cornerback in the NFL.
