When the Chicago Bears signed DE Julius Peppers to a six-year, $91.5 million contract, they made a number of statements.

One, the Bears indicated to the rest of the NFL that with Peppers, Chester Taylor, and Brandon Manumaleuga, they're trying to win.

A franchise that had historically been referred to as "cheap" gave Peppers the highest total of guaranteed money in the history of the NFL ($42 million).

Two, the Bears showed their fans that, between Peppers and Jay Cutler, they want to sell jerseys. This is the second consecutive offseason that the Bears have made a significant move to improve their team in an overwhelming way.

The third statement the Bears made was subtle, but very direct. Bears' GM Jerry Angelo just made life hell for Bulls GM Gar Forman for the next six months.

Consider the professional sports landscape in Chicago for a moment.

The best thing going in the Windy City right now is the Blackhawks. This past summer, the Hawks spent big money to add a superstar in Marian Hossa, and then locked up their emerging young stars Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Patrick Kane with significant contracts.

The Bears not only traded for Cutler, but then gave him a substantial pay raise during the season. Between Cutler and Peppers, the Bears have spent more money in the past two seasons on two players than they had in the previous decade.

The Cubs and GM Jim Hendry have been huge spenders over the last few years. Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano lead a group of eight Cubs who will make more than $10 million each in 2010.

Even the notoriously frugal White Sox are spending money in ways they traditionally haven't. While their payroll is down nearly $30 million from 2009, the additions of Alex Rios ($9.7 million) and Jake Peavy ($15 million) are two contracts that the South Siders have not considered on the trade market in the past.

With the Sox adding a former Cy Young Award winner in Peavy, the Hawks locking up their young stars, and now the Bears signing the biggest free agent on the market, the Bulls are stuck between a rock the size of the Sears, I'm sorry...the Willis Tower and a hard place.

Why?

If you follow sports at all, you know that the coming summer's sports news will be dominated for a couple weeks by perhaps the greatest free agent class in the history of any professional sport hitting the NBA .

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh , Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, and Carlos Boozer are just a few of the marquee names with expiring contracts, and every NBA team was trying to cut payroll at the trade deadline this year in anticipation of spending like a Kardashian this summer.

The Bulls were among the teams dumping salaries at the deadline. John Salmons and Tyrus Thomas were unloaded for players with expiring contracts to open up enough space so the Bulls could be serious players for a megastar.

Contracts are a little different in every professional sport, and the NBA has its quirks. In the coming months, the phrase "max contract" will be thrown around a lot as analysts talk about which teams can spend how much on these big time players.

There isn't such a thing as a "max contract" in the NHL, NFL or MLB, but each league has some limitations on how much teams can spend (this statement excludes the New York Yankees).

The NBA has a "max contract" to level the playing field in free agency. The most money any team can offer LeBron James this summer is 25 percent of the salary cap, which would be roughly $136 million for six years starting next year. The same can be said for Bosh and Wade, based on their experience in the Association.

Any team can offer as many of the "max contracts" as they can afford, but still have to fill a roster. In the case of the Bulls, they can afford to offer one "max contract" but will have plenty of spending room to offer another star a fairly substantial payday as well.

Derrick Rose has become of the better young stars in the NBA, and was honored with a selection to this season's All Star Game in Dallas . Playing next to Rose is certainly attractive, and playing in the building where Michael Jordan won three of his six rings has a prestige that not many arenas in the league can offer.

Wade's in Miami . On South Beach. With no state income tax. Yes, he's a Chicago kid, but coming home might not be the best move for him or his family.

Bosh plays in Canada, so he's fair game. He has already told Toronto he's not going back, and will entertain offers from all over the NBA.

He's a good, young power forward that produces and runs the floor well, so the Bulls wouldn't be the only team throwing a lot of money at his feet.

LeBron was born and raised in Ohio. Whether or not he would leave his hometown, despite it being Cleveland , is a huge question mark, and the prospect of playing at Madison Square Garden and resurrecting the Knicks might be too much for the Bulls to outbid.

There are going to be a lot of options for all of these guys this summer.

But look around Chicago. The Bears are spending money on big names. The Cubs and Sox have added some expensive players recently. And the Blackhawks are one of the best teams in the NHL and might win a Stanley Cup.

Now, the Bulls aren't only competing with other NBA teams for the attention of these players, but now they're competing with every other team in Chicago for the fans' hard earned dollars.

Six months ago, nobody figured the Bears would land the biggest free agent on the market (or guarantee him $42 million). But they did.

Forman and the Bulls now cannot afford to not land a big-time player this summer. They have an emerging superstar in Rose, but they need to keep up with the rest of the city.

Good luck, Bulls. Go get us a winner!

For more great coverage of Chicago sports, check out Tab's blog on ChicagoNow: the Daily Chicago Sports Tab!

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The Chicago Bears have been linked to several prominent free agents this offseason, including a few big-name running backs.

However, the best possible free agent running back that the Chicago Bears need to be pursuing is not Brian Westbrook, or LT, or even Darren Sproles.

The Bears' best option is actually a former Bear...Thomas Jones, who will be released by the New York Jets as free agency begins on Friday, March 5.

Before everyone calls me crazy, hear me out.

First off, in regards to the other options...

Westbrook is a good player. He still has some explosiveness and quick moves, but his concussion problem is something that should steer Chicago away from him.

Tomlinson has fallen off. There is generally a rule of thumb with running backs that once they start declining, generally that decline is steep. He would still be a solid option for a change of pace back or for veteran leadership, but his price tag might be a little too high for his recent lack of production.

Of the main three, Sproles might be the most ideal, as he is without a doubt the best pass catcher of the group and quite possibly the most electric receiver coming out of the backfield we have seen in the entire decade. But odds are he can find a home (like back in San Diego) where he will get more touches, more money, and more of a chance to be an every-down back.

But Thomas Jones...I realize that the Bears and he parted ways on not so good of terms, but he is the ideal running back.

Bringing him in will give that offense another solid option in the backfield. Jones was at his best with Chicago when they ran dual backs with him and Cedric Benson. Team him with Matt Forte and there would be little drop-off between the two.

The only downside would be that there would not be a change of pace. Both backs have a similar style of running. But it would mean that we have a high-caliber player in the backfield at all times.

Last season with the New York Jets, Jones rushed for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns—and the Jets are releasing him! While I know Jones rushed behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, he also played with a quarterback that was usually instructed to NOT lose the game (remind Bear fans of anyone else?), and defenses were teed up against the run every game.

Adding Jones would also allow the Bears to part ways with two other backups: Garrett Wolfe, who has not done a whole lot in three seasons, and longtime backup and special teams ace Adrian Peterson. This would also give Kahlil Bell a veteran back from whom he can learn.

The most important thing that T.J. can teach Forte and Bell is hard work. The man is a machine. He is the definition of a gym rat. Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer used to praise Jones for his work ethic. He works out hard, keeps his body fit, and never stops trying to get better. What more could you ask for out of your running back? 

I understand that this is a long shot considering the terms he and the Bears left on, but Thomas Jones should be the best fit at the best price for a position that needs some leadership.

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Contrary to reports made just prior to the deadline, it looks like the Chicago Bears remain the front runner to sign Pro Bowl DE Julius Peppers as the free agency period begins tonight at midnight.

According to reports, Chicago Head Coach Lovie Smith touched down in Carolina just after midnight to meet with Julius Peppers and his agent.  He is reportedly flying back to Chicago with both Peppers and his agent tomorrow where it's believed a deal will be signed.

The Bears are also making news on other fronts, with blocking tight end Brandon Manumaleuna headed to Chicago to discuss a potential deal on Friday.  

On top of both Peppers and Manumaleuna, the Bears may announce a third signing by the end of the day tomorrow as well, with RB Chester Taylor visiting the facilities.  

The talk is that the Taylor deal starts at $8 million guaranteed, and that there are other teams besides Chicago in the running.  In fact it's believed that Detroit is doing everything in their power to prevent a Taylor visit to Chicago tomorrow.

If Manumaleuna signs with the Bears tomorrow this will likely spell the end of Olsen.  His value is already very low in the eyes of the new Bears' offensive coaching staff.  

They value blocking tight ends a lot more than receiving, and since Manumaleuna is one of the premier blocking ends in the league, I can't imagine Olsen would be more valuable on their roster than he is as trade bait.

In other news as the free agency period is upon us, Karlos Dansby announced on ESPN tonight that he was headed to Miami to meet with the Dolphins.  It was originally speculated that the Giants would have a big interest in Dansby.

I've also heard that Detroit Head Coach Jim Schwartz is meeting with FA Kyle Vandenbosch right now and looking to sign a deal that brings him to Detroit to pair him with newly acquired DT Chris Williams.

San Diego has also announced that they will release veteran DT Jamaal Williams, who played with the team for 12 seasons.  In addition, after announcing that they did not plan to tender RB Darren Sproles, the Chargers announced a complete 180 degree turn, putting the highest possible tender on Sproles with a first and a third round designation, which guarantees Sproles will make $7,283,000 next season.

Read more Chicago Bears news on BleacherReport.com

It's been an incredible two weeks for six of the Chicago Blackhawks.

In Sunday's gold medal game, the United States and Canada played a legendary game that featured all of the drama the Olympics is about.  Finally, Blackhawks' captain Jonathan Toews put the puck in the next to push his point total to eight (one goal, seven assists) in the tournament. 

Toews was voted the best forward of the Olympic tournament by the media, and led the tournament in assists.  He also ended the tournament fifth in faceoff win percentage at 64.76 percent. The United States' goalie Ryan Miller was named the tournament's MVP, but a strong case was made for Toews to win that honor as well.

Duncan Keith ended the tournament tied for second among all Olympic defensemen with six points (six assists). His +6 rating was tied with fellow Canadians Drew Doughty and Eric Staal for third in the tournament.  Toews tied for the overall tournament lead in plus-minutes at +9 with Ryan Suter of the U.S.  Amazingly, not a single goal was scored in the tournament while Toews was on the ice.

Brent Seabrook became the seventh defenseman for Canadian (and Red Wings) coach Mike Babcock, and averaged just 8:26 on the ice per game in the tournament. Seabrook did record one assist, however, and ended the Olympics +2 despite his lack of playing time.

For the United States, Patrick Kane was the object of some criticism before the medal rounds began.  Some national analysts said that Kane was as disappointing for the U.S. as Toews was exceptional for Canada. In five games, Kane had only one point on a goal early in the tournament. However, Kane silenced his critics in his final two games.

In the medal round against Finland, Kane led the Americans with two goals. Then, in the gold medal game, Kane was the exceptional creator Hawks fans know.  He was credited with an assist on both of the United States' goals, the first being a re-directed shot that got past Roberto Luongo.  The second was a quick release in traffic that Luongo left enough of for Zach Parise to score the dramatic game-tying goal with just 24.4 seconds left in regulation.  Kane ended the Olympics with five points (three goals, two assists) and a +4 rating.

Slovakia, a darkhorse in the tournament featuring a handful of NHL players including Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky, advanced further than any team in the country's history. The hard-fought loss to Finland, in which Hossa scored a goal and had an assist, ended a great run in which Hossa finished second in the Olympics in scoring with nine points (three goals, six assists).  Kopecky played very well, and will hopefully see his confidence carry over to the final six weeks of the NHL season.

For more great Blackhawks coverage, check out Tab's blog: CommittedIndians.com!

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