Bears defensive tackle Terry "Tank" Johnson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge Monday as part of an arrangement with prosecutors that will keep him from serving additional time in jail. The 25-year-old Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm without an owner's identification, said Mary Stanton, chief of the Lake County Court's misdemeanor division. He was ordered to serve 45 days in jail, which will be served concurrently with a four-month sentence he's already serving in the Cook County Jail for violating his probation, she said.

The Washington Redskins and Chicago Bears have rekindled talks under which the Bears would trade Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs to the Redskins, NFL sources said yesterday. While a deal was not a certainty, one source with knowledge of the situation said there was a "50-50" chance a trade would be completed before Washington makes its first selection in the NFL draft tomorrow. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was possible the teams also would swap their first-round draft picks, with the Bears receiving Washington's sixth overall selection in return for Chicago's 31st pick.

General manager Jerry Angelo said Tuesday that the Bears could welcome back Briggs, who has threatened to sit out the first 10 games if he's not moved. Although it seems unlikely Briggs would follow through on that and cost himself $4 million to maintain a hard-line stance, an amicable return is even less likely. ''I feel he can come back here,'' Angelo said. ''Lance is not a bad person.''

The Buccaneers joined the list of teams interested in the Bears' disgruntled outside linebacker, according to Adam Schefter of NFL Network. If Monday is any indication?Briggs was mentioned in Internet trade rumors involving the Bucs, Giants, Broncos, Bills and Redskins ? the speculation about his future will continue to fly up until this weekend's NFL draft.

During a national radio interview on Dan Patrick's show on WMVP-AM 1000, Brian Urlacher threw his support behind Lance Briggs, who has threatened a holdout if the Bears don't rescind the franchise tag and its $7.2 million salary or trade him. "I'm on Lance's side," Urlacher told Patrick. "I think he has played his way into a new contract. I think he has played his way on the field and, whether he gets [a new deal] in Chicago or somewhere else, I think he needs to be rewarded for what he did on the field." Asked if he expected to be playing alongside Briggs when the season opens, Urlacher answered, "Right now, I don't think he will be there."

Brian Urlacher was fined $100,000 by the NFL for wearing a cap during Super Bowl media day that promoted a sponsor not authorized by the league. NFL rules prohibit gear that advertises any product but a designated sponsor, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said Wednesday. Urlacher was fined for drinking vitaminwater and wearing a vitaminwater hat during the media session in Miami leading to the title game.

A proposed trade sending Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs to the Redskins is on the ropes after the Bears turned down Washington's proposed swap of draft picks. Last week, the Redskins made a one-time offer for Briggs, offering to swap their first-round draft pick, the sixth overall, for the Bears' No. 31 overall pick. The Redskins offer was take-it-or-leave it, and they told the Bears that they wanted an answer no later than Tuesday. The Redskins got their answer Tuesday afternoon when Bears general manager Jerry Angelo contacted the Redskins and told them he wasn't ready to make the simple swap of first-round draft choices.

The Washington Redskins' proposed trade for Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs will reach a secondary stage on Monday when the Bears are expected to counter the Redskins' offer of the team's sixth overall pick in next month's draft in return for Chicago's 31st pick and Briggs. During the week, Bears General Manager Jerry Angelo said he would use the weekend to consult with his staff and consider the Redskins' offer for the 26-year-old Briggs, a two-time Pro Bowl weak-side linebacker who has been in a contract dispute with the team since the Bears lost to Indianapolis in the Super Bowl. The dispute centers on Chicago's decision to name Briggs the team's franchise player, which allows it to pay him a one-year contract at $7.2 million. Briggs wants a long-term contract and has threatened to sit out for most of next season if the Bears don't trade him or work out an extension. On Saturday, Angelo said a long-term deal was unlikely, even in the event that Briggs plays in Chicago next season under the franchise tag.

The Bears weren't enamored with the Redskins' tactics last week, with Washington going public with its trade offer for disgruntled linebacker Lance Briggs before presenting the offer formally to Chicago.

The standoff between Lance Briggs and the Chicago Bears took another turn when general manager Jerry Angelo said he wants the Pro Bowl linebacker to return next season but a multiyear contract is unlikely. "I'm not ruling it out 100 percent, but in all probability, that's not likely to happen," Angelo said during the team's fan convention. The Bears and Briggs have been at odds since the team slapped the franchise player tag on him in mid-February. Briggs threatened to sit out the season, then agent Drew Rosenhaus said his client would sit out the first 10 games and report for the final six to qualify as serving one year as a franchise player. Meanwhile, the Washington Redskins offered the sixth pick in the draft for Briggs and the Redskins' No. 31 selection. "We'll digest what they offered Monday and we'll go from there," Angelo said, adding no other team has made an offer. The Bears would likely have to pay the No. 6 pick a $15 million to $20 million bonus, although they could package the pick in another trade.