ESPN

ESPN analyst Todd McShay's fifth mock draft of the year contemplates multiple scenarios for each pick in the first round, and so it takes a little more time to digest than usual. Its Insider status prevents me from bringing you every scenario in the NFC North, but I can pass along what McShay considers ideal for each team.

3. Minnesota Vikings
McShay: A trade that nets an additional first-round pick but also keeps the Vikings in the top 10 of the 2012 first round.
Seifert comment: I think the Vikings would make a deal for something less than that bounty, perhaps an additional second- and third-round pick in addition to their partner's No. 1 pick. There is a cost to be considered for falling outside of the so-called blue-(chip) zone of the first round, but the Vikings' across-the-board needs might well make it worth their while.

19. Chicago Bears
McShay: South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore
Seifert comment: Gilmore wouldn't be in position to play right away on a team that has Charles Tillman, Tim Jennings, D.J. Moore and Kelvin Hayden under contract. But he would be a start in a necessary replenishment of depth behind the Bears' 30-something defensive stars.

23. Detroit Lions
McShay: Alabama defensive end/outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw
Seifert comment: In this mock, Gilmore and fellow cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick of Alabama are both off the board. Pass-rushers are a premium asset, and we know that the Lions won't look elsewhere merely because their defensive line is already well-stocked.

28. Green Bay Packers
McShay: Clemson defensive end Andre Branch
Seifert comment: Branch could play outside linebacker in the Packers' 3-4 scheme. Most mockers seem to think the Packers will draft the best available defensive end/linebacker at this spot, and in this exercise USC defensive end Nick Perry is off the board. You also wonder if Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith is a possibility here.

We're kinda sorta expecting to see the NFL schedule released sometime early next week, unless of course it isn't. It's probably a safe assumption, though. It will give the NFL a focal point next week before draft hysteria hits during the week of April 23.

We, of course, already know the opponents each team will face. Essentially, the NFC North will face the NFC West and AFC South, in addition to the division schedule. To that end, ESPN has put together a strength of schedule chart ordered by the combined records of each opponent in 2011.

The best way to view this chart is as a measure of a team's standing relative to the rest of its division. The Green Bay Packers have the second-"easiest" schedule in 2012 largely because they don't have to play themselves twice. The Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings' strength of schedules are determined in large part because the Packers represent a 30-2 hit on their opponents' combined record.

The Vikings, Packers and Bears will all play seven "quality opponents" in 2012, while the Lions have six on their schedule. A quality opponent is defined as one with at least nine victories the previous year.

In the relief and euphoria of his long-awaited contract extension, linebacker Lance Briggs described the Chicago Bears' offseason as "a miracle" and one that "on paper" has put him on the Bears' best team since he arrived in 2003. So as long as we're talking about ideal scenarios, we should consider what could be next for the NFC North's most active team this offseason.

From a contract perspective, at least, the Bears have at least two significant issues to address. One is a resolution to their increasingly stark standoff with tailback Matt Forte. The other is the expiring contract of linebacker Brian Urlacher.

Forte has not signed his franchise tag tender of $7.74 million for 2012, and without an injury waiver he'll be ineligible to participate in offseason workouts. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported this week that Forte won't sign anything until he agrees to a long-term contract extension, which makes it quite possible the Bears won't see him again for a while.

One way or the other, someone will have to budge if Forte is going to be on the field when training camp begins at the end of July. By most accounts, the sides aren't close.

"He knows what his value is, and I think we all know what his value is," Briggs said, adding that he supports Forte's current stance.

Urlacher, meanwhile, is in the final year of a deal the Bears upgraded and extended in the summer of 2008. He'll earn $7.5 million in base salary with an opportunity earn a $500,000 workout bonus. It's hard to imagine the Bears doing anything other than extending him until they deem him unfit to play, and so his situation becomes a matter of timing more than anything.

Will the Bears let Urlacher play out the season with the understanding he will get a new contract next winter? Or will they move to extend sometime in the next five months before the 2012 season begins? For obvious reasons, players prefer security rather than waiting, especially for someone like Urlacher, who has no desire to play elsewhere.

"I think the Bears will do right by him," Briggs said. "He's coming off a great year. Hopefully we can play until we're 49 years old, if that's possible."

Hey Lance, we're talking about the ideal scenario, not fantasy.

Lance Briggs had no leverage last summer when he asked the Chicago Bears for a contract upgrade. As we discussed at the time, the midpoint of a market-level contract isn't typically a time when teams look to renegotiate.

Briggs had two choices when the Bears rejected his request. He could flip out and make himself into a yearlong distraction. Or he could buckle down and provide the Bears one more illustration of why he is a player worthy of further investment.

Briggs chose the latter, and I have to believe that decision at least partially explains why the Bears circled back and complied Wednesday with a new deal that settles Briggs' concerns for the foreseeable future. The numbers were not monumental -- Briggs got about a $2.5 million raise for 2012 and would earn $5.5 million in 2013, according to multiple reports -- and for the Bears it was a relatively cheap way to demonstrate loyalty to a cornerstone player who just wanted a little love.

"I'm grateful," Briggs said in a conference call with reporters. "I'm just very appreciative right now that the work has been recognized and that it got handled as fast as it did. … We all had a number in our head and they had the same number."

Briggs earned his seventh Pro Bowl honor in 2011, but just as impressive to me was the fact that he played in every Bears defensive snap from the beginning of the season to the end. Pushing through minor injuries is probably the best way for a player to demonstrate a commitment to the team. Briggs did his part, and as it turns out, all he was looking for was the most modest of rewards. If all it took was a few million dollars to placate a key player, it was a no-brainer for the Bears to comply.

Briggs was the first to admit that his contract was a unique situation, so this is not to suggest that Bears tailback Matt Forte would benefit from a similar strategy. It will take much more money to satisfy Forte than it did Briggs. And if Forte sits back and plays under his franchise tag in 2012, the Bears wouldn't be any more compelled to offer him the rich extension he is apparently seeking.

But in Briggs' case, at this moment, there was no real crisis, and neither side treated it as one after last summer's theatrics. And voila, here we are. As is the case in so many of these "issues," all's well that ends well.

Earlier: Briggs' contract was one of several Big Decisions facing NFC North teams this offseason.

The Chicago Bears announced Wednesday they had agreed to terms with linebacker Lance Briggs on a one-year extension that will lock up the veteran through 2014.

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DES PLAINES -- Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said Tuesday he is neither worried about his knee, unsigned running back Matt Forte nor the NFL's bounty scandal.

Speaking before a luncheon at Maryville Academy, where he was to receive the team's annual Ed Block Courage Award, voted on by his teammates, Urlacher said it is not up to the league's players to make the game safer.

"That's not our job to protect other players," Urlacher said. "It's the NFL's job and the refs' job to protect the players. ... If they think it's illegal, they'll throw a flag or they'll fine you. It's not our job to regulate that.

"I'm not worried about it. It's always touchy and I'm sure it will be even worse after all this stuff went down. You just have to go out there to do the best you can with the rules in place."

As the team looks to its first voluntary offseason workouts on Monday, Urlacher, who damaged ligaments in his knee during last season's final game at Minnesota but did not require surgery, said it "feels good."

"I've had so much time in the offseason to get it right," he said. "I still have four months [until training camp]. I'm definitely not in a big hurry. I've done everything to this point I've been asked to do. I'm sure when the time's right, I'll be ready to play. I have six months before the season starts to get ready. I'll be good to go when the time is right."

In the meantime, Urlacher is not likely to see Forte at Halas Hall as the disgruntled running back cannot participate in team activities until he signs the team's one-year franchise tender that would pay him $7.742 million, a raise of more than $7.1 million over last season.

"[Free agent acquisition] Michael Bush will get a lot of reps then if Matt's not there, and he'll get to know the offense," Urlacher said. "Matt takes care of himself. He knows the offense, he's a smart guy, he's always in shape. He's the least of my concerns. He'll be at training camp when he needs to be. Either way, he'll be there."

Urlacher also commented on the team's somewhat controversial trade for wide receiver Brandon Marshall, saying "Brandon is a good guy. I know he's had some issues. Everyone says that. I've been around him a couple times. Jay (Cutler is) going to handle that situation, so I'm not worried about it.

"Jay is a straightforward guy. He's been around Brandon. I don't think it will be an issue. He's coming to a good situation, he's got a great quarterback, good offensive line, good running game, decent defense, great coaching staff, so I think it's a good situation for him to be in. He's going to get a lot of balls thrown at him, so that should keep him happy."

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said Tuesday he wasn't shocked when he heard the audio of former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams telling his players to injure San Francisco 49ers players, but he did think it crossed a line.

"It didn't shock me, but it's definitely a line you can't cross," Cutler said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "You can't say that. You can't condone that. You can't instruct your guys to go out and play like that. Guys are going to take head shots. They're goign to take shots. They're going to hit you as hard as they possibly can. That's the game.

"Whenver you start instructing guys to take head shots and give guys concussions especially with the way the commissioner is coming down on those types of hits and concussions and emphasis on that, you're going to pay a severe penalty."

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler remains confident that Brandon Marshall won't miss any time resulting from the incident in a New York City nightclub in which he was accused of striking a woman.

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Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said Tuesday he hopes to see disgruntled running back Matt Forte during the summer, although it doesn't sound like he expects to see him Monday at the first voluntary offseason conditioning workout.

Forte can't attend the workouts if he doesn't sign the tender he received after being designated as the team's franchise player, or if he can't get an extension worked out.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Bears eight-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker Brian Urlacher will be presented with the Ed Block Courage Award on Tuesday during a ceremony at Maryville Academy in Des Plaines, Ill., the team announced on Monday.

The Ed Block Courage Award is given out each year to one member of every NFL team and is awarded to the players who exemplify commitments to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. The recipients of the award are selected solely by the vote of their teammates.

Former Bears defensive tackle Anthony Adams was presented with the honor last summer.

Urlacher is also a two-time winner of the Brian Piccolo Award.

Bears coach Lovie Smith is also scheduled to be in attendance.

Not surprising, but Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte likely won’t attend the start of the club’s voluntary offseason conditioning program starting on April 16 due to the stalemate between the sides in contract negotiations.

Designated the team’s franchise player, Forte received a tender from the team worth $7.7 million for the 2012 season. But if he doesn’t sign the tender or ink a long-term pact with the club in the next seven days, Forte won’t be in attendance for the voluntary workouts.

Bears coach Lovie Smith remains upbeat about the situation, saying just last week that he thinks the deal “will get done eventually.”

Although the sides don’t appear to be making much progress in working out a long-term agreement, the Bears continue to express optimism publicly. Forte’s representation, meanwhile, has remained silent in recent weeks.

“Contracts are a very individual matter and a very private matter,” Bears general manager Phil Emery said last week during a conference call with season-ticket holders. “So I’m not going to get into specifics. I will just say that we’re both working in a positive direction to come to a positive conclusion for everybody.”

Smith pointed out the fact Forte “hasn’t missed anything that we’ve ever done,” recently at the NFL owners meetings, adding that “I don’t think we need to get too caught up in it.” But given the lack of progress in negotiations, it appears Forte is poised to miss the start of the offseason conditioning program.

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CHICAGO -- Free-agent defensive tackle Amobi Okoye has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bears addressed their depth at cornerback by agreeing to terms on one-year contracts with Kelvin Hayden and Jonathan Wilhite, the club announced on Thursday.

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Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery provided updates Wednesday on the potential return of injured offensive tackle Gabe Carimi and receiver Johnny Knox during a conference call with the club's season-ticket holders.

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The NFL announced Wednesday that the Chicago Bears will open the preseason by hosting the Denver Broncos the weekend of Aug. 9-12, meaning that fans at Soldier Field could see future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning in a Denver uniform for the first time.

The NFL unveiled its preseason schedule for 2012, and while the actual dates haven't yet been locked in, the Bears face some interesting foes as they open with the Broncos at Soldier Field, followed by another home matchup against the Washington Redskins.

Manning will surely draw plenty of attention when his team faces the Bears. But Chicago features two former Broncos on its roster in quarterback Jay Cutler and receiver Brandon Marshall, who helped one another to Pro Bowl seasons with the club. Former Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie returns to Soldier Field as Manning's backup with the Broncos.

The following week could present the debut of yet another highly-touted quarterback when the Bears host the Redskins. Washington traded away picks to move into the second overall spot of the NFL draft later this month, and it's believed the club will take Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Robert Griffin III of Baylor.

Chicago's last two exhibition outings come on the road against the New York Giants, on Aug. 24 in a nationally televised game, and then the following Thursday against the Cleveland Browns. Dates for the first two exhibition games haven't yet been finalized, but will likely be announced later this month along with dates for the club's regular season contests.

The Bears and Redskins will square off in the preseason for the first time since 1976, while Chicago and Cleveland will close their respective preseason schedules against one another for the ninth year in a row.

The Bears' non-divisional schedule includes road games at Arizona, Dallas, Jacksonville, San Francisco and Tennessee, along with home contests against Seattle, Carolina, Houston, Indianapolis and St. Louis.