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Commitment to Slash Bears sign Stewart, say they won't look at QBs in first roundPosted: Thursday March 13, 2003 7:28 PMUpdated: Thursday March 13, 2003 9:49 PM
By Don Banks, SI.com The Chicago Bears made Kordell Stewart their starting quarterback for 2003 on Thursday, agreeing to a two-year, $5 million contract with the former Pittsburgh Steeler. But will the move preclude Chicago from using its No. 4 overall draft pick to select a future franchise quarterback? Stewart's agent, Leigh Steinberg, told SI.com that it's his understanding that the Bears won't be in the market for a first-round quarterback. "We think it's fine that they reserved that option, to draft a quarterback," Steinberg said. "But we told them it was important to us that they not use their first pick on a franchise quarterback, right after signing Kordell. We didn't ask for a promise, but they certainly didn't lead us to believe that they intended to draft a quarterback in the first round." Asked again if it was Stewart's belief that Chicago would not draft a quarterback earlier than the second round, Steinberg said: "That's correct." Stewart agreed to terms with the Bears one day after the number of offers he had dwindled from two to one. Arizona and Chicago both made bids last week, but the Cardinals ended their pursuit of him on Wednesday when they signed former Baltimore starter Jeff Blake to a three-year, $7.5 million deal that included a $1 million signing bonus. Arizona had offered Stewart $3 million per season for four years, but he turned it down in the hopes of receiving something closer to the $6.3 million that he was scheduled to earn in Pittsburgh this year. Stewart had a visit to Baltimore scheduled for Monday, but the Bears clearly were not prepared to wait much longer for him to decide if Chicago was in his future. The Ravens had offered Blake just $1.5 million per year, and were not prepared to go much higher than that in any potential offer to Stewart. Steinberg said Stewart chose the Bears in part because it represented "a clear starting job with the least chance of a quarterback controversy." He added, "Kordell had a chance to sign [in Arizona], for larger economics, but in terms of career advancement, this was the right fit." Veteran Chris Chandler is expected to be Stewart's backup, with the Bears likely to draft a young quarterback at some point in the early rounds. Chicago released their injury-prone starter, Jim Miller, last month after finishing 4-12 in 2002. In a much anticipated cap-related move just before free agency opened, Stewart, 30, was released by the Steelers after eight seasons in Pittsburgh. Stewart was 46-30 as a starter and twice led the Steelers to the AFC title game. But he struggled in those contests, throwing three interceptions in each Pittsburgh loss. He lost his job to Tommy Maddox last season, and his only substantial playing time came in victories over the Bengals and Jaguars, when Maddox was hurt. Stewart has 13,328 career yards passing while completing 1,190 of 2,107 attempts with 70 touchdown passes and 72 interceptions. Before becoming the Steelers' starter in 1997, Stewart was known as "Slash," a multidimensional threat who could make plays as a quarterback, running back and receiver. He ranks 13th on the Steelers' all-time rushing list with 2,540 yards on 496 carries with 35 touchdowns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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